1

I have not worked on databases before but I am needing to research information about databases for work

I will be using Mariadb

What should I look for when choosing which version to download? It looks like the latest version is 10.4.12-GA, but it is only available for Ubuntu 18.04 (only relevant Ubuntu option in the drop down menu here). I will be using Ubuntu linux in the database server computer, and it looks like the latest Ubuntu release is 20.04. Should I use the latest Ubuntu and latest Mariadb, or would it be better to stick with Ubuntu 18.04 and the latest mariadb? Also, this page says that Mariadb 10.1 is included by default in Ubuntu 18.04. is that the recommended version?

One issue that was brought up during our discussion was the interoperability between Mariadb and MySQL. It looks like after version 5.5 the version numbering between the two seems to have diverged, with MySQL at 8.x and Mariadb at 10.x, with the 10.x version being compatible with the 8.0 version. Is this something I should be concerned about? Our database server computer will only have Mariadb and since we are not upgrading from an existing database nor do we intend to change to some other database in the future, I don't think I need to worry about compatibility with MySQL, but I just wanted some opinions on this.

Lastly, a quick google search brings up mariadb.com and mariadb.org. For example, searching "mariadb download" in google gives me https://mariadb.org/download/ and https://mariadb.com/downloads/ as the top search results. Are both of them the same thing? Which one should I be using?

Improve this question
2
  • if i missed any important aspect of you question(s) please highlight it.
    – danblack
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 6:48
  • Just install Postgres ;)
    – user1822
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 8:34

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

On downloads, I'd go with the MariaDB.org repository management tool. There is only one 20.04 focal release for the 10.5 Beta branch at the moment (so not recommended yet for production use). The reason is that the releases include what distro builders where available at the time of release so as time goes on there will be a focal repository for every major release.

Until that happens, focal includes a 10.3.22 package version which is a good starting point.

On a normal fresh install I'd pick the latest GA stable (10.4) however since there isn't easy packages for focal yet, stick with the 10.3.22 distro package.

MariaDB.com releases are tarball only installs making upgrading harder.

On MySQL vs MariaDB, there is a large (and dry reading) compatibility page describing differences.

As its a green fields install there isn't a lot to worry about with compatibility. The main thing to look at is if MySQL/MariaDB has the features you need.

Improve this answer
7
  • thank you for the answer. Our plans have changed and I will be using latest CentOS (8) as the OS now. I still don't get why there is a .com and .org site, but I've read something about a mariadb corporation and mariadb foundation, which I am supposing are what the .com and .org are referring to. I also read that their binaries are identical, so would there be any difference where I download them from? I am not familiar with all the linux commands and terms yet, so I would rather follow a step by step guide that explains exaclty what to do to get a working system.
    – user17915
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 7:44
  • Specifically, I am thinking of following this: mariadb.com/kb/en/mariadb-package-repository-setup-and-usage
    – user17915
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 7:45
  • The link says a curl -sS... command to execute /mariadb_repo_setup and then sudo yum install MariaDB-server MariaDB-client should install what I need. Then I am thinking of following cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-install-mariadb-on-centos-8 to secure the installation. Do you think this should work?
    – user17915
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 7:47
  • Jumping between install guides is a sure way to break things. Stick to one guide, choose a good one to start with. From the cyberciti output it looks like Centos8 has 10.3.11, I looked though it, it looks ok. I personally distrust anything that says curl ... | sh. You should understand a script before you run it.
    – danblack
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 8:05
  • the curl command is from mariadb.com's page (mariadb.com/kb/en/mariadb-package-repository-setup-and-usage) and so I am hoping this is their recommended way of installing it. The page says that this will install Mariadb10.4 and inside the mariadb_repo_setup file at one point it says mariadb_server_version=mariadb-10.4, so this is probably correct. I mentioned the cyberciti article only because mariadb.com's page only has instructions up to installing MariaDB-server and MariaDB-client...
    – user17915
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 8:23

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.