If you’ve been around the MariaDB community for a while, you can probably feel it already: things are moving in the right direction.
And no, I’m not talking about one vanity metric, one lucky spike, or one noisy social post.
I’m talking about a broader trend.
The latest Adoption Index data shows something I really like to see: not one lucky spike, but multiple signals moving in the right direction at the same time.
Sometimes people want one number.
One chart. One KPI. One neat little story.
But open source projects do not work like that.
And honestly, that is why I like the MariaDB Adoption Index in the first place. Great job, Robert!
The MAI (MariaDB Adoption Index) does not pretend that one metric can explain everything. Instead, it combines a set of signals — usage, visibility, contributor activity, downloads, community reach, and ecosystem presence — into a broader picture.
And when you look at the latest data, that broader picture still looks very good.
The big picture first: the index keeps rising
Let’s start with the most obvious chart.
The weighted index reached 265 in February 2026, up from 170 in December 2025, 193 in January 2026, and well above the baseline of 100. That is not a small move. That is a very visible step forward.
What I find interesting is that this is not just one random month after a flat period. Yes, there are some normal ups and downs during 2025, but the general trend from late 2025 into early 2026 is clearly upward.
And that is exactly the kind of trend you want to see in an open source project: not noise, not hype, but a stronger combined signal over time.
The weighting also tells a story
The weights chart is useful because it shows what the index actually values.
The biggest contributors are:
- MariaDB.org downloads (20%)
- Debian Popcon (10%)
- Docker official image pulls (10%)
- DB-Engines score (10%)
Then you have a second layer of meaningful signals:
- GitHub new PRs external (5%)
- GitHub new PRs unique contributors (5%)
- Wikipedia views (5%)
- Google Trends (5%)
And after that, a broader mix of community and ecosystem indicators such as GitHub stars, README mentions, social channels, Hacker News, Stack Exchange, and so on.
I like this balance.
Why? Because it avoids the usual trap. If you only look at social media, you can fool yourself. If you only look at downloads, you miss community energy. If you only look at contributors, you miss wider adoption.
This weighting feels much more realistic. It rewards actual usage signals while still leaving room for community and visibility.
The strongest story is not just the index. It is what sits behind
Now, this is where things get more interesting.
When you dig into the numbers from September 2025 to February 2026, you can clearly see why the weighted index is moving up.
1. MariaDB is showing up in more projects
One of my favorite metrics in the whole table is the GitHub README count.
The number of repositories mentioning MariaDB in their README goes from:
- 174,123 in August 2025
- 182,576 in September 2025
- 190,352 in October 2025
- 199,493 in November 2025
- 208,854 in December 2025
- 217,396 in January 2026
- 226,685 in February 2026
That is a very nice trend.
And no, I do not see this as a vanity metric. Quite the opposite. README mentions usually indicate that MariaDB is present in the real documentation, examples, integrations, deployment guides, project templates, and user-facing technical content.
That is ecosystem reach.
That is discoverability.
And that matters a lot to us at MariaDB Foundation.
2. Docker usage remains at a very serious level
Docker pulls remain one of the strongest signals in the index.
We go from 19.3 million in August 2025 to:
- 17.4 million in September 2025
- 16.6 million in October 2025
- 12.1 million in November 2025
- 11.7 million in December 2025
- 12.7 million in January 2026
- 13.5 million in February 2026
So yes, it comes down after the peak.
But let’s be serious: staying in the tens of millions of monthly pulls is not a weakness. That is still a very strong adoption signal.
Sometimes people look at a chart and panic because the line is not always going up. I do not think that is the right reading here. The trend down likely reflects cleaner measurement, not weaker adoption.
The key point is that MariaDB remains widely used in container-based workflows.
And that is exactly the kind of real-world signal that should matter.
3. Downloads are moving in the right direction again
MariaDB.org downloads tell a similar story.
After 93,954 in September 2025, the numbers rose to:
- 97,477 in October
- 108,674 in November
- 123,778 in December
- 116,269 in January
- 129,774 in February
That February number is especially nice.
It shows that the latest jump in the weighted index is not magic. There is real movement underneath it.
4. Contributor activity looks much stronger
Now here is a metric I would definitely highlight more.
External GitHub PRs move from:
- 4 in September 2025
- 3 in October
- 9 in November
- 13 in December
- 23 in January 2026
- 59 in February 2026
That February jump is big.
Very big.
And the number of unique contributors follows the same healthy direction:
- 64 in September 2025
- 61 in October
- 63 in November
- 67 in December
- 75 in January 2026
- 90 in February 2026
Honestly, this is one of the best signals in the whole dataset.
Why? Because of their usage and visibility, contributors are special. Contributors mean people are not just consuming MariaDB. They are investing in it. They are showing up. They are helping move the project forward.
That is community strength.
And my colleague Joro saw the same trend, see [1], [2], [3], and [4].
5. GitHub stars and visibility keep climbing
GitHub stars are also steadily moving upward:
- 6,471 in September 2025
- 6,598 in October
- 6,733 in November
- 6,853 in December
- 7,087 in January 2026
- 7,234 in February 2026
Again, not dramatic in isolation.
But that is the whole point of this article: the signal is strong because it is repeated across many indicators.
More stars.
More README mentions.
More contributors.
More downloads.
Sustained Docker usage.
That is not random.
That is momentum!
Community reach is still growing too
The social and community side also keeps moving, and I think it deserves a mention without pretending it is the whole story.
From September 2025 to February 2026:
- LinkedIn Followers Foundation: 5,040 -> 5,886
- LinkedIn Followers PLC: 24,407 -> 25,973
- YouTube Subscribers Foundation: 3,140 -> 3,330
- YouTube Subscribers plc: 3,610 -> 3,950
- Fosstodon Followers Foundation: 338 -> 388
- Reddit Subscribers: 3,017 -> 3,480
These are healthy gains.
Not explosive. Not silly. Just solid.
And that is usually better.
Because sustainable community growth tends to look exactly like this: steady progress across several places where users, developers, and curious people can encounter MariaDB.
Meanwhile, we have also opened a new LinkedIn Public Group; please join it.
Not every metric is perfect, and that is fine
There are also some metrics that are flat or softer.
DB-Engines score slips from 91 in September 2025 to 86 in February 2026.
Wikipedia views bounce around.
Google Trends fluctuates.
X follower counts are mostly flat or slightly down.
Debian Popcon is not on a straight upward line either.
But again, that is why we use an index rather than a single number.
If you obsess over one declining line, you miss the much more important story: the overall picture is improving because the growth areas are stronger, broader, and more meaningful.
That is the mature way to read this kind of data.
We also added Bluesky to our collection for the future.
So what is really happening here?
Here is my reading.
MariaDB is becoming more visible.
MariaDB is showing up in more projects.
MariaDB is still heavily used.
MariaDB is attracting more contributors.
MariaDB is growing its reach.
And in early 2026, that combination becomes strong enough to push the weighted index sharply upward.
That is a good story.
Not because it is flashy, but because it looks real.
What should we do with that?
Keep going.
Really.
If you are part of the MariaDB ecosystem, this is not the moment to sit back and admire the chart. This is the moment to amplify what is already working.
Write about MariaDB.
Mention it in your project docs.
Share migration stories.
Publish benchmarks.
Create examples.
Star the repo.
Open issues.
Review PRs.
Contribute code.
Talk about what you are building.
Because one of the clearest lessons from this dataset is that visibility and contribution compound over time.
And when they do, the index follows.
And on our side, we will continue to provide good content and reward our Champions. Something is coming soon!
Onwards and upwards
The weighted index at 265 in February 2026 is the headline.
But the real story is underneath it.
More README mentions.
More contributors.
More GitHub stars.
More downloads.
Sustained Docker usage.
Growing community reach.
That is not just a nice month.
That is momentum.
And yes, I think “onwards and upwards” still fits very well.