Why I Switched from MySQL to MariaDB for WordPress

I ran MySQL for over a decade without questioning it. WordPress recommends it, most hosts default to it, and it works. But after noticing consistent performance differences on a high-traffic WooCommerce site, I decided to benchmark MariaDB — and the results convinced me to switch everything over.

The Performance Difference

MariaDB is a drop-in replacement for MySQL, created by the original MySQL developers after Oracle acquired it. In my testing on a WooCommerce store with 50,000+ products, MariaDB handled complex JOIN queries 15-20% faster. The Aria storage engine and improved query optimizer made a noticeable difference on product filtering and search queries.

The Migration Was Painless

Since MariaDB is binary-compatible with MySQL, the migration was surprisingly simple:

# Dump the database
mysqldump -u root -p wordpress_db > backup.sql

# Install MariaDB (removes MySQL)
sudo apt install mariadb-server

# Import the dump
mysql -u root -p wordpress_db < backup.sql

No schema changes, no WordPress configuration changes. The wp-config.php database settings stayed exactly the same. WordPress does not even know the difference.

Better Defaults Out of the Box

MariaDB ships with more sensible defaults for modern workloads. The thread pool, query cache improvements, and better InnoDB defaults meant I spent less time tuning my.cnf. For WordPress specifically, the improved subquery optimization helps with sites that use complex meta queries — which is basically every WordPress site with custom fields.

Should You Switch?

If you are on a managed host, you probably already run MariaDB — most modern hosts made the switch years ago. If you manage your own server, I would recommend it. The migration takes minutes, the performance gains are real, and the WordPress community increasingly treats MariaDB as the default.