Migration — support on quote
Migrate MySQL to managed MariaDB
Progressive, controlled migration from your MySQL to MariaDB, with full support from the RDEM Systems DBA team: compatibility audit, pilot environment, short cutover window, and handover to managed operations.
Why migrate from MySQL to MariaDB
MySQL and MariaDB share a common origin. But since 2010, MariaDB has diverged to stay 100% open source, with no commercial owner. MySQL is still owned by Oracle, with a Community edition deliberately limited compared to the paid Enterprise edition.
In practice, migrating to MariaDB means picking up useful features (SEQUENCE, system-versioned tables, parallel replication, Galera multi-master included) without fundamentally changing your application stack: MySQL drivers work, SQL queries work, your ORMs work.
It's the most common — and lowest-risk — migration we operate.
The 4 most-cited reasons
Beyond technical sovereignty, here's what our clients gain in practice.
Stay on a 100% open source engine
MariaDB is developed by the MariaDB Foundation, with no commercial owner setting feature gates. MySQL still belongs to Oracle.
Performance & engine improvements
MariaDB ships features absent from MySQL Community: SEQUENCE objects, system-versioned tables, ColumnStore, more optimizer enhancements.
Replication and HA out of the box
Multi-source replication, parallel replication, semi-synchronous replication, Galera multi-master — all included, no separate license.
Drop-in compatibility
MariaDB remains highly compatible with MySQL (5.7 in particular) at the protocol, SQL and tooling level. Drivers, ORMs and apps usually work as-is.
How the migration unfolds
Proven methodology — most MySQL → MariaDB migrations fit in 4 to 8 weeks, cutover downtime from 15 min to 2 h depending on volume.
Compatibility audit
Schema, queries, stored procedures, drivers, ORMs. We identify the rare incompatibilities (specific JSON functions, removed reserved words) before any migration.
Pilot environment
We provision a MariaDB cluster on RDEM infrastructure, import a copy of your data, run a regression test pass on your app.
Cutover
Logical replication MySQL → MariaDB during a freeze window, switch DNS / connection strings, read-only validation, write switchover.
Post-migration
Performance comparison, query tuning if needed, replication and backup activation, handover to managed operations.
Compatibility: what works, what needs attention
Works out of the box
- ✓MySQL connectors (PHP, Python, Java, Node, Go) — protocol-compatible
- ✓ORMs (Doctrine, Eloquent, Sequelize, Prisma, SQLAlchemy, Hibernate)
- ✓Admin tools (phpMyAdmin, DBeaver, Workbench, ProxySQL, MaxScale)
- ✓mysqldump dumps (direct import into MariaDB)
- ✓MySQL → MariaDB replication (a MariaDB can be a replica of a MySQL)
Requires validation
- !Very recent JSON functions specific to MySQL 8.x
- !MySQL 8 caching_sha2_password authentication (needs reconfiguration)
- !Reserved keywords added or removed depending on target version
- !Oracle proprietary plugins (Group Replication, Clone) — not ported
- !Index behavior on JSON types and generated columns
Typical risks and how we neutralize them
The biggest risk of a migration isn't technical — it's the absence of a rollback plan. Our method keeps the original MySQL in reverse replication for 7 to 14 days after cutover, allowing rollback without loss if an application issue surfaces late.
Second risk: different slow queries. The MariaDB optimizer is not identical to MySQL's — some queries get faster, others slightly slower. The pilot phase surfaces those gaps before production cutover.
Third risk: exotic stored procedures. If you have MySQL 8.x code with nested window functions, complex CTEs or JSON_TABLE, we review those objects upfront.
Pricing
The migration is a fixed-price engagement on quote. Price depends on data volume, number of databases, schema complexity, number of connected applications, and target cutover window.
The initial 15-min scoping call is free. An optional in-depth audit (1 to 3 days at €1,200 excl. VAT/day, see audit page) can be performed to scope the migration accurately and surface pitfalls.
The audit cost is deductible from the migration if you entrust the cutover to us.
Ready to migrate your MySQL to MariaDB?
Let's scope your migration in 15 minutes. Quote within 48h after preliminary audit.
Start your managed MariaDB project
Let's discuss your database needs. Our DBA team advises you on the optimal architecture for your use case.
RDEM Systems SAS — SIREN 820 338 671 — 5 B rue des Noyers, 95300 Pontoise