MariaDB vs Microsoft SQL Server

Overview

Microsoft SQL Server

Stacks21.3K

Followers15.5K

Votes540

MariaDB

Stacks16.5K

Followers12.8K

Votes468

GitHub Stars6.6K

Forks1.9K

MariaDB vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?

Introduction:

MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server are both popular database management systems used in various applications and websites. While they share similarities as relational database management systems (RDBMS), there are key differences between the two.

Storage Engine Support: One major difference is the storage engine support. MariaDB supports a wide range of storage engines, including InnoDB, MyISAM, and Aria, among others. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server uses a single storage engine, known as the SQL Server Storage Engine. This difference gives MariaDB more flexibility in terms of choosing the most suitable storage engine for specific use cases.
Licensing: Another significant difference between MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server is the licensing. MariaDB is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means it is free and open-source software. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server is a proprietary software product that requires a commercial license for use. This distinction makes MariaDB more accessible and cost-effective for organizations with limited resources or a preference for open-source solutions.
Platform Compatibility: MariaDB is known for its cross-platform compatibility, as it can be installed and used on various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server is primarily designed for Windows-based systems, although there have been recent developments to support Linux installations. This difference in platform compatibility gives MariaDB an advantage for organizations using different operating systems.
Administration Tools: MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server offer different administration tools for managing and monitoring databases. MariaDB uses tools such as MySQL Workbench and phpMyAdmin, which provide a web-based interface for performing database administration tasks. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server includes tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that offer a comprehensive set of features for database management. These differences in administration tools can affect the user experience and the familiarity of database administrators.
Replication: Replication is a crucial feature for maintaining high availability and data redundancy in distributed systems. MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server differ in their replication capabilities. MariaDB supports multiple types of replication, such as master-slave and master-master replication, allowing for flexible and scalable replication setups. In comparison, Microsoft SQL Server offers transactional replication and merge replication, which have different characteristics and limitations. This difference may impact the choice of database management system for applications requiring robust replication capabilities.
Community and Support: Both MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server have active communities and support resources. However, as an open-source project, MariaDB benefits from a larger community of developers and contributors who provide extensive support through forums, documentation, and online resources. Microsoft SQL Server, being a proprietary software, offers support through official channels, such as online documentation, forums, and paid support options. The difference in community and support resources may influence the level of assistance and availability of solutions when facing issues or challenges.

In Summary, MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server differ in storage engine support, licensing, platform compatibility, administration tools, replication capabilities, and community and support resources. These differences make MariaDB a more flexible, cost-effective, and cross-platform option, while Microsoft SQL Server provides comprehensive tools and support options but is limited to Windows-based systems.

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Advice on Microsoft SQL Server, MariaDB

Erin

IT Specialist

Mar 10, 2020

Needs adviceon

Microsoft SQL Server

MySQL

PostgreSQL

I am a Microsoft SQL Server programmer who is a bit out of practice. I have been asked to assist on a new project. The overall purpose is to organize a large number of recordings so that they can be searched. I have an enormous music library but my songs are several hours long. I need to include things like time, date and location of the recording. I don't have a problem with the general database design. I have two primary questions:

I need to use either @{MySQL}|tool:1025| or @{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| on a @{Linux}|tool:10483| based OS. Which would be better for this application?
I have not dealt with a sound based data type before. How do I store that and put it in a table? Thank you.

668k views668k

Comments

Maxim

student at USI

Aug 25, 2020

Needs adviceon

Node.js

Mongoose

PostgreSQL

Hi all. I am an informatics student, and I need to realise a simple website for my friend. I am planning to realise the website using Node.js and Mongoose, since I have already done a project using these technologies. I also know SQL, and I have used PostgreSQL and MySQL previously.

The website will show a possible travel destination and local transportation. The database is used to store information about traveling, so only admin will manage the content (especially photos). While clients will see the content uploaded by the admin. I am planning to use Mongoose because it is very simple and efficient for this project. Please give me your opinion about this choice.

321k views321k

Comments

Omran

CTO & Co-founder at Bonton Connect

Jun 19, 2020

Needs advice

We actually use both Mongo and SQL databases in production. Mongo excels in both speed and developer friendliness when it comes to geospatial data and queries on the geospatial data, but we also like ACID compliance hence most of our other data (except on-site logs) are stored in a SQL Database (MariaDB for now)

582k views582k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Microsoft SQL Server	MariaDB
Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.	Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.
-	Replication;Insert Delayed;Events;Dynamic;Columns;Full-text;Search;GIS;Locale;Settings;subqueries;Timezones;Triggers;XML;Functions;Views;SSL;Show Profile
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 6.6K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 1.9K
Stacks 21.3K	Stacks 16.5K
Followers 15.5K	Followers 12.8K
Votes 540	Votes 468
Pros & Cons
Pros 139 Reliable and easy to use 101 High performance 95 Great with .net 65 Works well with .net 56 Easy to maintain Cons 4 Expensive Licensing 2 Microsoft 1 Allwayon can loose data in asycronious mode 1 Replication can loose the data 1 Data pages is only 8k	Pros 149 Drop-in mysql replacement 100 Great performance 74 Open source 55 Free 44 Easy setup

What are some alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server, MariaDB?

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

RethinkDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

ArangoDB

A distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions.

InfluxDB

InfluxDB is a scalable datastore for metrics, events, and real-time analytics. It has a built-in HTTP API so you don't have to write any server side code to get up and running. InfluxDB is designed to be scalable, simple to install and manage, and fast to get data in and out.

CouchDB

Apache CouchDB is a database that uses JSON for documents, JavaScript for MapReduce indexes, and regular HTTP for its API. CouchDB is a database that completely embraces the web. Store your data with JSON documents. Access your documents and query your indexes with your web browser, via HTTP. Index, combine, and transform your documents with JavaScript.

Related Comparisons

MariaDB vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Storage Engine Support: One major difference is the storage engine support. MariaDB supports a wide range of storage engines, including InnoDB, MyISAM, and Aria, among others. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server uses a single storage engine, known as the SQL Server Storage Engine. This difference gives MariaDB more flexibility in terms of choosing the most suitable storage engine for specific use cases.
Licensing: Another significant difference between MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server is the licensing. MariaDB is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means it is free and open-source software. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server is a proprietary software product that requires a commercial license for use. This distinction makes MariaDB more accessible and cost-effective for organizations with limited resources or a preference for open-source solutions.
Platform Compatibility: MariaDB is known for its cross-platform compatibility, as it can be installed and used on various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server is primarily designed for Windows-based systems, although there have been recent developments to support Linux installations. This difference in platform compatibility gives MariaDB an advantage for organizations using different operating systems.
Administration Tools: MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server offer different administration tools for managing and monitoring databases. MariaDB uses tools such as MySQL Workbench and phpMyAdmin, which provide a web-based interface for performing database administration tasks. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server includes tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that offer a comprehensive set of features for database management. These differences in administration tools can affect the user experience and the familiarity of database administrators.
Replication: Replication is a crucial feature for maintaining high availability and data redundancy in distributed systems. MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server differ in their replication capabilities. MariaDB supports multiple types of replication, such as master-slave and master-master replication, allowing for flexible and scalable replication setups. In comparison, Microsoft SQL Server offers transactional replication and merge replication, which have different characteristics and limitations. This difference may impact the choice of database management system for applications requiring robust replication capabilities.
Community and Support: Both MariaDB and Microsoft SQL Server have active communities and support resources. However, as an open-source project, MariaDB benefits from a larger community of developers and contributors who provide extensive support through forums, documentation, and online resources. Microsoft SQL Server, being a proprietary software, offers support through official channels, such as online documentation, forums, and paid support options. The difference in community and support resources may influence the level of assistance and availability of solutions when facing issues or challenges.

MariaDB vs Microsoft SQL Server

Overview