Should I use MySQL 8 or MariaDB 10?

Question

I need to upgrade MySQL and I'm wondering if I should select MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.3. Which is better?

Answer

MySQL 8 and MariaDB 10 are both excellent, officially supported database solutions for cPanel servers. From a purely cPanel perspective, one is no better than the other. Most users will not notice a difference in performance or reliability between the two solutions, as cPanel servers do not generally host applications that rely on the advanced features specific to either of them. If you have an application that you believe relies on the advanced features of MySQL or MariaDB, please consult with a database administrator for an informed recommendation.

Some of the advanced differences that you may find are as follows:

• MySQL does not support PL/SQL, while MariaDB does in 10.3 and later
• In extensive benchmarks, MariaDB performs queries and replication slightly faster
• MariaDB can use multiple storage engines in one table
• MySQL has a larger base of third-party vendor support compared to MariaDB