Your Guide to MariaDB and Its Benefits

Picking the right database for your next project can be daunting. There are many options to choose from, and not all of them offer performance and compatibility features that will help you avoid problems later on.

Fortunately, there are viable options such as MariaDB, which is suitable for a wide range of projects and applications. This database server is notable for its speed and robustness, which can save you a lot of time and effort.

In this article, we'll first discuss what MariaDB is and what a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) does. Then we'll cover the top reasons to use MariaDB, including its top-notch security and compatibility with multiple programming languages. Let's get started!

An Introduction to MariaDB

Before you can understand MariaDB, you need to know what a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is. This type of software enables you to identify and work with pieces of data in relation to one another, and to administrate and maintain that data through the use of SQL and other programming languages.

An RDBMS also provides a visual representation of your database. This makes administration and maintenance easier, because you can read and navigate your database through the use of tables, columns, and rows.

MariaDB is one of the most popular RDBMSs in the world. It's actually a fork of MySQL, another well-known RDBMS, and is open source:

MariaDB is known for its high levels of speed and flexibility, which enable it to power massive platforms including Google, Wikipedia, and WordPress.com. What's more, you can enhance it through the use of optional plugins and tools.

3 Benefits of Using MariaDB for Your Next Development Project

Your project's database is vital to its performance, security, and overall usability. Thoughtfully selecting an RDBMS can provide both you and end users with a better maintenance experience. With that in mind, let's look at three reasons to consider MariaDB.

1. Its Open-Source Nature Makes It Highly Flexible

As an open-source platform, MariaDB's source code is publicly available if you wish to inspect, modify, or contribute to it. You can find it on GitHub.

This means that, if you wish, you can fork the platform and make adjustments to meet your needs. Alternatively, you can also build plugins and other extensions to enhance the existing RDBMS.

Plus, other developers can do the same. This has resulted in a library of plugins you can consult and use to your benefit. It also makes the platform as a whole suitable for a wide range of use cases.

2. MariaDB Provides Excellent Security

Using an open-source database might seem like a potential security vulnerability. However, MariaDB's highly-active community of developers continuously review the platform's code for threats, and release timely patches as needed.

Plus, there are multiple security features available out of the box or via plugins, such as:

Firewall protection to prevent SQL injection attacks
Data masking to secure sensitive user information
Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for the secure delivery of data
Auditing and event tracking to keep you appraised of key changes
Resource limits to protect against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
Multiple authentication options including SSH passwords, one-time passwords, and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

MariaDB is also compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

All of these features can go a long way towards protecting your users from malicious hackers looking to steal sensitive information. Considering the damaging effect a data breach can have on your reputation as a developer, this is important for the longevity of your career as well.

3. It's Compatible With Multiple Programming Languages

As a developer, you probably have preferred programming languages. Fortunately, MariaDB supports many of the most common options, which enables you to stick with your favorites.

As a fork of MySQL, MariaDB natively supports SQL for table administration. However, it also plays nicely with:

C and C++
Java
.NET
Node.js
OBDEC
Perl
Python
Ruby

MariaDB supplies Application Programming Interface (API) connectors for all of these languages. It also supports PHP, one of the most popular programming languages out there.

MariaDB Conclusion

There are many RDBMSs available. However, not all of them come with the necessary features for administrating a database effectively. MariaDB, on the other hand, offers many plugins and tools to make this task easier.

In this post, we introduced you to MariaDB and discussed several of its benefits, including: