Compare Web Hosting with MariaDB Databases UK

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MariaDB - Worthy Successor to MySQL?

A modern website uses dynamic pages where a programming language retrieves content from a database like MariaDB, MySQL, or SQLite, converts it into an HTML document, and delivers it to the client through a web server like Apache, NGINX, Google Web Server, or Microsoft IIS. It is common to combine this with a PHP web hosting that integrates all components necessary for operating a website and provides the user with a suitable environment at a fixed price. When comparing, significant differences can be found among providers offering similar services.

Differences in PHP Web Hosting with MariaDB

For over a decade, MySQL has been the undisputed standard for relational databases in various environments ranging from PHP web hosting to logistics and library catalogs. Both databases were fundamentally developed by the same developer, Michael Widenius, who named the projects after his daughters - My and Maria. After more than ten years, he left the MySQL development team and founded the fork MariaDB. The main reason was his concern that the new owner, Oracle, might neglect or completely discontinue development in favor of its proprietary and paid database systems.

Due to its enhanced functionality and the guaranteed support for each version for at least five years, many Linux distributions quickly adopted MariaDB, including Arch, Fedora, Debian, its derivative Ubuntu, and even Oracle Linux offered by the owner of MySQL. This move was also followed by numerous major internet platforms, such as the Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia and other free content), Google, or Mozilla.

For the end user, initially there were no discernible differences between both database systems, with MariaDB integrating features early on that MySQL only offered to its users in the commercial and proprietary version. Migrating from the free version of MySQL to MariaDB is still generally possible in most cases, but may not be reversible in some cases - the reason simply lies in the extended syntax and additional structural elements. A detailed article on the differences between MySQL and MariaDB.

PHP Hosting with MariaDB: Pros and Cons Overview

For a simple database on a private website with a few hundred or thousand visitors per month, the choice between MySQL and MariaDB does not make a practical difference - both are largely compatible, use identical commands, and exhibit similar performance at small scale. However, differences become apparent on a more complex and abstract level:

Advantages:

• Fast access and high performance
• Based on the proven, relational MySQL database
• Extended functionality in the base version
• Open-source licensing and free usage
• Very good and extensive documentation
• Tools like phpMyAdmin available for management

Disadvantages:

• Conversion to MySQL not always possible
• Decreasing performance with very large datasets
• Backup only possible through additional programs
• Operation requires its own database server

Possible Alternatives to MariaDB

Compared to MySQL, MariaDB offers some advantages and is considered a standard due to its compatibility since many Linux distributions switched over. For a limited amount of data, other file-based formats like SQLite, which do not require a separate server daemon, are viable options. However, the performance of these variants decreases rapidly with growing data size due to the necessary accesses to the storage medium.