MariaDB

What it is

MariaDB is a community-driven SQL database that remains GPL-licensed and is widely deployed as a MySQL-compatible engine.

Key features

• MySQL compatibility - MySQL-compatible protocols and SQL dialect.
• Storage engines - Multiple storage engines for different workloads.
• Replication - Replication options for HA and read scaling.
• Ecosystem - Broad tool and driver ecosystem.

Strengths

• MySQL compatibility - MySQL-compatible protocols and SQL dialect.
• Storage engines - Multiple storage engines for different workloads.
• Replication - Replication options for HA and read scaling.

Trade-offs

• Compatibility drift - Edge-case behavior can differ across forks and versions.
• Scaling writes - Write scaling relies on sharding or application patterns.
• Operations - Backups, upgrades, and tuning remain core responsibilities.

Pricing

Open-source software. Direct license cost is zero; costs are typically infrastructure, operations, and optional paid support or hosting.