MariaDB is an open-source relational database management system, a fork of MySQL. Web applications such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and WooCommerce can use it in exactly the same way as they do MySQL, which is why it is widely used amongst Linux distributions and web hosting providers.

Where does it come from?

MariaDB was created in 2009 by Michael ‘Monty’ Widenius, one of the founders of MySQL, and several original MySQL developers, following Oracle’s announcement that it would be acquiring Sun Microsystems, which had owned MySQL since 2008. The aim was to ensure that the database management system remained free software under the GPL licence. It was named after Widenius’s younger daughter, Maria (MySQL is named after his older daughter, My).

In what ways is it similar to MySQL, and in what ways does it differ?

Initially, MariaDB was a direct replacement for MySQL: the same SQL language, the same commands, client programs and connection interfaces. From an application perspective, this remains largely the case today; however, since MySQL 5.6, the two systems have been developing along increasingly separate paths. MariaDB’s own developments include, for example, the Aria storage engine, Galera-based multi-master clustering and Oracle compatibility mode.

The default storage engine is InnoDB, which handles transactions and operates in accordance with the ACID principles: operations are either executed in full or not at all (atomicity), data always remains in a valid state (consistency), concurrent operations do not interfere with one another (isolation), and committed changes are retained even after a system shutdown (durability).

Versions and support

MariaDB releases a Long-Term Support (LTS) version annually. As of October 2026, the supported LTS branches are 10.11, 11.4, 11.8 and 12.3 (released in May 2026); support for the 10.6 branch ended in July 2026. From version 11.8 onwards, LTS versions receive bug fixes and security updates for three years (previously five years). Alongside the LTS branches, quarterly rolling releases featuring new features are also published.

How can you use it on your hosting account?

In our web hosting plans, you can create a database via the KeyHelp interface and manage it via phpMyAdmin; on cPanel hosting, the ‘MySQL Databases’ menu item is used for this (step-by-step guide). Applications connect to databases referred to as ‘MySQL databases’ in the package descriptions in exactly the same way, regardless of whether MySQL or MariaDB is running in the background.

You can view the exact version of the server on the phpMyAdmin home page, under the database server details, or you can run the following query on the SQL tab:

SELECT VERSION();

What should you bear in mind during the migration of your website?

• Unknown collation: Older versions of MariaDB do not recognise the default MySQL 8 collation utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci, so importing a backup created from MySQL 8 may fail with an ‘Unknown collation’ error. In this case, please change the collation in the backup to utf8mb4_unicode_ci-re’, or contact us for assistance.
• Version-specific features: the two systems differ in their handling of JSON and in some of their newer SQL functions; therefore, it is advisable to test any application written specifically for MySQL 8 before the migration.
• Export: Create a backup of the data in an SQL file using UTF-8 encoding, and after importing, check that accented characters are displayed correctly.