As a DBA, comparing Database Server versions is an important part of preparing an upgrade. You need to know which server options were added or removed, which defaults changed, and what else is different between the versions you are running and the versions you plan to deploy.
When I worked with MySQL, I used a community tool to identify these changes, and it was especially useful when I had to compare versions several releases apart.
Masahiro Tomita (富田 雅浩 / とみた まさひろ) made this tool, and it’s still available: https://mysql-params.tmtms.net.
A Tool to Compare MariaDB Server Versions
I found this tool really useful, and I wanted a similar experience for MariaDB Server, with a few additions.
So, I created a MariaDB Server version: https://mariadb-diff.lefred.be/
With the tool, you can easily identify modifications between multiple versions (up to 8) covering different areas such as:
- server options
- client options
- server status variables
- privileges
- default plugins
- storage engines
- information schema
- keywords
- performance schema
This is a screenshot example of what you could expect from the tool:
Give it a try! If your version isn’t included yet, let me know, and I’ll add it. Currently, I list all the latest major versions.
Enjoy preparing your MariaDB Server upgrades!
Fred, this is great. Well done.
Note: people move between MySQL and MariaDB so just comparing MySQL or just comparing MariaDB is not “sufficient”. Can we come up with a way to be able to reasonably extend this to work for any “MariaDB like” or “MySQL like” code base?
– other reasonable examples to be aware of are: Percona Server and also VillageSQL.
if not maybe given what you’ve done it’s something I need to look at as I often compare both MariaDB and MySQL flavours and the differences there may become more noticeable or catch you out.
The webpage and your blog description does not indicate the source of this code. Can you share it?
Thanks.
Hi Simon, glad you like it. Let’s discuss it next week at Percona Live 😉
Suppose a DBA compares several MariaDB releases before upgrading, and a server option disappears in an intermediate version. Seeing “which server options were added or removed” across those releases would help locate the change. The next step would be to check whether the existing configuration still depends on it. Comparing privileges alongside options could reveal a separate migration concern.
Comparing up to 8 versions side by side, including changed defaults and privileges, is exactly the part that tends to be painful when planning an upgrade that skips several releases. It is good to see a MariaDB equivalent of Tomita-san’s mysql-params tool. Thanks for building and sharing mariadb-diff.