intro
MariaDB catalogs are an upcoming feature in MariaDB Server. Catalogs will provide customers of hosting services with better control over their data.
Many hosting providers have one database server that supports many clients—in that case, customers are assigned differently named schemas. That’s precisely why you may already be familiar with your database being named “u8875_project” instead of the name of your project. It’s all part of the same puzzle—and it all has a lot of limitations including, but not limited to making the use of multiple databases impossible, backing up all the data in a MariaDB Server impossible as users simply don’t have access to the mysql database for security reasons and because of that, the mysql database cannot be copied meaning that we cannot take a copy of our users, their permissions, and other things, and restricting access to the error log in MariaDB Server. MariaDB catalogs solve these issues!
In this article, we’ll delve into MariaDB catalogs, learning what they are and how they work. Let’s dive in!
What Are MariaDB Catalogs?
Catalogs are an upcoming feature in MariaDB. They will solve many issues for hosting providers and for users alike—hosting providers will no longer have to deal with “this user seems to be almost inactive, but we still need to keep the database up” scenarios. Thanks to them, users will have better control over their database schemas with the ability to create multiple databases, back up all the data, access the entirety of the logs, and more.
The purpose of MariaDB catalogs is to provide users with almost the same user experience as if they were the sole owner of the database server, giving hosting providers more leniency to perform database tasks.
How Do MariaDB Catalogs Work?
MariaDB catalogs solve issues in the following ways:
In other words, catalogs are mini MariaDB dedicated servers. Each user is assigned one catalog which may either be specified in my.cnf option file or as an argument. Plus, each user has access to the entirety of the MariaDB database (that includes all settings, the user table in the mysql database, etc.)
That also means that specific MariaDB functionality will also work differently:
Wondering the difference between MySQL and MariaDB? Check out our MariaDB vs MySQL comparison article!
What to Expect in the Future?
With MariaDB catalogs now in the headlights of MariaDB Server, different things may be on the horizon too. Judging by December 2023 blog entry by MariaDB, in the future, MariaDB users can expect:
All of those features are meant to make MariaDB run as smooth as butter—however, with them or without, SQL clients like the one developed by DbVisualizer will help smooth the way.
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FAQ
What are MariaDB catalogs?
MariaDB catalogs are an upcoming feature within MariaDB that aims to provide users with almost the same experience as if they were the sole owners of the database server and provide hosting providers with more leniency when performing database-related tasks.
When will MariaDB catalogs be introduced?
According to MariaDB, catalogs will be introduced in an upcoming release of MariaDB Server.
Should I use MariaDB catalogs?
MariaDB catalogs are not for everyone. However, as it’s a multi-tenancy feature where a single instance of MariaDB Server handles multiple “tenants” (customers) using it, it will be mostly used by hosting providers or those using shared hosting services.
Why should I use an SQL client?
You should use a SQL client like the one provided by DbVisualizer because it provides support for many database management systems, allows you to easily access, optimize, and explore your data, as well as lets you take control of your data by letting you visualize the results in it, edit, or export the data as necessary.
