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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Databases
  4. Databases
  5. MariaDB vs SQLite

MariaDB vs SQLite

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

SQLite
SQLite
Stacks19.9K
Followers15.2K
Votes535
MariaDB
MariaDB
Stacks16.5K
Followers12.8K
Votes468
GitHub Stars6.6K
Forks1.9K

MariaDB vs SQLite: What are the differences?

MariaDB and SQLite are both popular relational database management systems, but they cater to different use cases and environments. Let's explore the key differences between them.

  1. Data Storage: MariaDB uses a traditional server-client model, where the data is stored on a server and accessed by clients. On the other hand, SQLite is a file-based database management system, wherein the entire database resides in a single file on the disk.

  2. Scalability: MariaDB is designed to handle large-scale applications with high concurrency and performance requirements. It offers advanced features like replication, clustering, and sharding to support scalability. In contrast, SQLite is better-suited for small-scale applications with limited concurrent connections and lower performance requirements.

  3. Server Requirement: MariaDB requires a dedicated server to provide the database services. It runs as a separate process and requires system resources to function. SQLite, on the other hand, does not require a separate server process and can be embedded within applications, making it lightweight and efficient in resource utilization.

  4. Query Language: Both MariaDB and SQLite provide support for SQL (Structured Query Language). However, MariaDB offers a more comprehensive implementation of the SQL standard and provides additional features like stored procedures, triggers, and views. SQLite, being a file-based database, has certain limitations in its implementation of SQL, such as the absence of stored procedures and limited support for data types.

  5. Transactions and Concurrency: MariaDB provides robust support for transactions, allowing multiple concurrent users to access and modify data securely and consistently. It supports various isolation levels to handle concurrent access efficiently. On the other hand, while SQLite does support transactions, it operates in a limited concurrent mode, with only one writer at a time. This makes it less suitable for applications with high concurrent write operations.

  6. Cross-Platform Compatibility: MariaDB is a multi-platform database management system that runs on various operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS. It can be easily deployed on a server and accessed from different client devices. SQLite, being a file-based database, is highly portable and does not require specific installations. It can be used on different platforms without any significant changes to the codebase.

In summary, MariaDB is a robust, scalable, and feature-rich database system suitable for large-scale enterprise applications and high-traffic websites, offering support for complex SQL queries, transactions, and advanced database management features. In contrast, SQLite is a lightweight, self-contained database engine designed for simplicity, portability, and ease of use, making it ideal for embedded systems, mobile applications, and small-scale projects where low overhead and simplicity are prioritized.

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Advice on SQLite, MariaDB

Dimelo
Dimelo

Nov 5, 2020

Needs adviceonSQLiteSQLiteMySQLMySQLPostgreSQLPostgreSQL

I need to add a DBMS to my stack, but I don't know which. I'm tempted to learn SQLite since it would be useful to me with its focus on local access without concurrency. However, doing so feels like I would be defeating the purpose of trying to expand my skill set since it seems like most enterprise applications have the opposite requirements.

To be able to apply what I learn to more projects, what should I try to learn? MySQL? PostgreSQL? Something else? Is there a comfortable middle ground between high applicability and ease of use?

670k views670k
Comments
Maxim
Maxim

student at USI

Aug 25, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsMongooseMongoosePostgreSQLPostgreSQL

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
Stephen
Stephen

Senior DevOps Engineer at Vital Beats

Nov 9, 2020

Review

A question you might want to think about is "What kind of experience do I want to gain, by using a DBMS?". If your aim is to have experience with SQL and any related libraries and frameworks for your language of choice (python, I think?), then it kind of doesn't matter too much which you pick so much. As others have said, SQLite would offer you the ability to very easily get started, and would give you a reasonably standard (if a little basic) SQL dialect to work with.

If your aim is actually to have a bit of "operational" experience, in terms of things like what command line tools might be available as standard for the DBMS, understanding how the DBMS handles multiple databases, when to use multiple schemas vs multiple databases, some basic privilege management etc. Then I would recommend PostgreSQL. SQLite's simplicity actually avoids most of these experiences, which is not helpful to you if that is what you hope to learn. MySQL has a few "quirks" to how it manages things like multiple databases, which may lead you to making less good decisions if you tried to take your experience over to different DBMS, especially in bigger enterprise roles. PostgreSQL is kind of a happy middle ground here, with the ability to start PostgreSQL servers via docker or docker-compose making the actual day-to-day management pretty easy, while still giving you experience of the kinds of considerations I have listed above.

At Vital Beats we make use of PostgreSQL, largely because it offers us a happy balance between good management and backup of data, and good standard command line tools, which is essential for us where we are deploying our solutions within Kubernetes / docker, and so more graphical tools are not always appropriate for us. PostgreSQL is also pretty universally supported in terms of language libraries and frameworks, without having to make compromises on how we want to store and layout our data.

316k views316k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

SQLite
SQLite
MariaDB
MariaDB

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.

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
19.9K
Stacks
16.5K
Followers
15.2K
Followers
12.8K
Votes
535
Votes
468
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 163
    Lightweight
  • 135
    Portable
  • 122
    Simple
  • 81
    Sql
  • 29
    Preinstalled on iOS and Android
Cons
  • 2
    Not for multi-process of multithreaded apps
  • 1
    Needs different binaries for each platform
Pros
  • 149
    Drop-in mysql replacement
  • 100
    Great performance
  • 74
    Open source
  • 55
    Free
  • 44
    Easy setup

What are some alternatives to SQLite, MariaDB?

MongoDB

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

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

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.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.

Cassandra

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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