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MariaDB

LicenseFOSS problemsMaintenanceSSOUsersTested
GPLv2Copyleft license. If you distribute it, modified or not, you must publish the source under GPLv2 too. No network-service clause — running it as a hosted service doesn't trigger that.—Active—Unlimited❌

Description​

MariaDB is a fork of MySQL, created in 2009 by MySQL's original founder after Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems put MySQL under Oracle's ownership — the same shape of fork as OpenTofu leaving Terraform, over a decade earlier.

Features​

  • Drop-in MySQL compatibility — stays close enough to MySQL that most software expecting one runs against the other with no changes.
  • Community governance — maintained by the MariaDB Foundation, not a single commercial owner.
  • No separate enterprise tier — GPLv2 throughout, not a subset of features held back for a paid version.

Usage patterns​

  • MySQL-compatible workloads — the default database for a lot of self-hosted software that predates or assumes MySQL compatibility; picking it can mean fewer surprises for that specific category of service.
  • Genuinely open alternative — no single commercial owner able to change the terms later, the same reason OpenTofu is one for Terraform.

License and governance​

GPLv2 — copyleft, community-governed by the MariaDB Foundation rather than a single company, with no separate enterprise tier gating features behind a paid license.

Conclusion​

Why you would — the genuinely open MySQL-compatible option, with no single commercial owner able to change the terms later, and the safer default for any self-hosted software that specifically assumes MySQL compatibility.

Why you wouldn't — PostgreSQL has pulled ahead on the features that matter more now than raw MySQL compatibility — JSONB, extensions, standards compliance — so unless a specific app actually requires MySQL/MariaDB compatibility, there's no strong reason to run a second database engine alongside Postgres just for variety.