Cassandra vs MariaDB: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between Cassandra and MariaDB

Introduction

Cassandra and MariaDB are both popular database management systems that offer different features and capabilities. Understanding the key differences between these two systems can help in making the right choice for specific use cases.

1. Scalability: Cassandra is designed for distributed environments and offers seamless scalability. It can handle large amounts of data and supports linear scalability by adding more nodes to the cluster. On the other hand, MariaDB is designed for vertical scalability, which means it can handle increased loads by adding more resources to a single server.

2. Data Model: Cassandra follows a NoSQL, column-oriented data model, while MariaDB follows a relational data model. Cassandra's data model is highly flexible, allowing for dynamic and unpredictable data types, and providing horizontal scalability. In contrast, MariaDB provides a structured organization of data using tables, rows, and columns, making it suitable for complex relationships and traditional SQL queries.

3. Consistency and Availability: Cassandra is designed for high availability and eventual consistency. It employs a distributed architecture with multiple replicas which allows for high uptime but may introduce some level of data inconsistency. MariaDB focuses on maintaining strict consistency across its nodes, sacrificing availability under certain circumstances.

4. Replication: Cassandra uses a masterless distributed architecture, where all nodes in the cluster are equal and can accept write requests. It provides seamless data replication across multiple nodes for fault tolerance and high availability. On the other hand, MariaDB follows a master-slave replication scheme, where there is a single master node for write operations and multiple slave nodes for read operations.

5. High Performance: Cassandra is known for its high throughput and low latency characteristics. It can handle a massive number of read and write operations simultaneously. MariaDB, being a relational database, provides efficient querying capabilities with support for complex joins and transactions, but may not perform as well as Cassandra in scenarios with massive write operations or high data volumes.

6. Suitability: Due to its distributed nature, Cassandra is commonly used for handling large-scale data systems such as social media platforms, IoT applications, and financial systems. MariaDB, being a traditional relational database, is well-suited for applications that require ACID compliance and complex data relationships, such as e-commerce platforms, content management systems, and business applications.

In Summary, Cassandra is a distributed NoSQL database with high scalability and availability, while MariaDB is a relational database with strong consistency and efficient querying capabilities. Choosing between them depends on the specific requirements and use cases of the application.