Badger vs MariaDB: What are the differences?

**Introduction**

Key differences between Badger and MariaDB are detailed below:

1. **Data Storage**: Badger uses LSM-tree based key-value storage while MariaDB is a relational database management system, storing data in tables with rows and columns.
   
2. **Database Type**: Badger is a key-value store optimized for fast read and write access, suitable for use cases like caching and indexing; on the other hand, MariaDB is a traditional RDBMS supporting SQL queries, joins, and ACID transactions.
   
3. **Access Control**: Badger does not provide built-in access control mechanisms, while MariaDB supports user authentication and permission management for ensuring data security.
   
4. **Usage Flexibility**: Badger is typically used within applications for fast access to key-value pairs, whereas MariaDB is commonly used as a standalone database server supporting multiple clients and complex data operations.
   
5. **Community Support**: Badger is maintained by Dgraph Labs with a smaller user community compared to MariaDB, which is an open-source project backed by a larger community offering extensive documentation and support resources.
   
6. **Storage Engines**: Badger uses its proprietary LSM-tree storage engine for efficient data storage, while MariaDB supports multiple storage engines such as InnoDB, MyISAM, and Aria, allowing users to choose based on specific requirements.

In Summary, the key differences between Badger and MariaDB lie in their data storage structures, database types, access control mechanisms, usage flexibility, community support, and storage engine options.