mariadb-platform-vs-postgresql

MariaDB and PostgreSQL are SQL databases designed to help businesses store and access structured data in an organized and scalable way. Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are open source, giving technically savvy organizations access to database systems without licensing fees. There are also many premium services that implement, support, or manage MariaDB and PostgreSQL databases for businesses without the required on-staff expertise. Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are used by businesses of all sizes, and both are actively maintained with performance improvements, optimizations, and bug fixes.

Features

MariaDB and PostgreSQL both offer essential database features, such as high-performance querying, but they each have features that distinguish them from each other.

MariaDB is a lightweight database solution, with minimal requirements for technical resources. As a result, it’s an especially popular solution for businesses with smaller data storage requirements or limited hardware resources. MariaDB offers more flexible partitioning and sharding options compared to PostgreSQL. It also supports more programming languages, including Ruby, Erlang, Go, and more, giving its users more options to work in the language they’re most comfortable with.

PostgreSQL, on the other hand, offers faster read and write times, with better overall performance compared to MariaDB. PostgreSQL is often a good choice for businesses looking for the highest-performance SQL database they can find. Additionally, PostgreSQL includes some database optimization features, such as partial indexing, that aren’t available in MariaDB. PostgreSQL also supports a wide variety of server operating systems, including Windows, OS X, and popular Linux deployments.

Limitations

Although MariaDB and PostgreSQL are fully-featured, high-performance database systems, they each have limitations that are important to consider before selecting either.

MariaDB has trouble matching the read and write speeds offered by PostgreSQL Some users have had issues migrating to MariaDB from MySQL due to incompatibilities between the two tools. MariaDB also doesn’t support as many server operating systems as PostgreSQL. Most notably, MariaDB doesn’t support OS X, so businesses tied to OS X systems will likely be better off choosing a different solution.

PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is a more resource-intensive solution. Businesses with lower database performance requirements or limited access to hardware resources might be better off choosing a lighter-weight database. Although it natively supports common languages like C++, Python, and Java, you’ll have to install extensions to support other popular languages, such as Ruby and C#.

Pricing

Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are open-source and free for self-hosted implementations. Pricing for managed MariaDB or PostgreSQL solutions varies depending on vendor, storage, uptime, and performance needs.