Unsure what alternatives there are to MySQL?
Looking for increases in MySQL performance?
You might not realize that there are some compatible relational database engines. That you can drop in to replace MySQL.
You can even run SQLite without needing a server stack.
SQLite is the most widely deployed database engine in the world
Each engine has it’s own pros and cons to consider before switching from one to another. Most are available as a drop in replacement for MySQL, but yet dropping out and back to MySQL may not be as smooth. Development of new versions means the code bases and features diverge from each other.
MariaDB, Percona Server and Amazon Aurora all offer performance improvements over vanilla MySQL. All for free:
| Relational Database Engine | Details | Costs | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Aurora | Amazon Aurora is a MySQL-compatible relational database engine that combines the speed and availability of high-end commercial databases with the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of open source databases. Amazon Aurora provides up to five times better performance than MySQL with the security, availability, and reliability of a commercial database at one tenth the cost. | AWS has a free usage tier, otherwise costs depend on server spec x usage. | Amazon Aurora |
| MariaDB | One of the most popular database servers. Made by the original developers of MySQL. Guaranteed to stay open source. | Free | https://mariadb.org/ MariaDB subreddit |
| MySQL | MySQL is the world’s most popular open source database. Whether you are a fast growing web property, technology ISV or large enterprise, MySQL can cost-effectively help you deliver high performance, scalable database applications. | Community Edition is free. | MySQL MySQL subreddit |
| Percona Server | Is a free, fully compatible, enhanced, open source drop-in replacement for MySQL that provides superior performance, scalability and instrumentation. Percona Server’s self-tuning algorithms and support for extremely high-performance hardware delivers excellent performance and reliability. | Free | Percona Server Percona Server subreddit |
| SQLite | SQLite is a software library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. SQLite is the most widely deployed database engine in the world. | Free | SQLite SQLite subreddit |