It’s 2026, and if you need a relational database, your choice is governed by one of two factors.

The first is “I want the best, free database possible.”  In other words, you’re choosing based on features and cost.  In that case, you choose PostGreSQL and I don’t think anyone would argue with that.

The second is when you chose based on stack requirements – “my ecosystem only supports certain DBs, so I have to choose one of those.”  This is very common in industry applications, where the vendor might say “only runs on Oracle” or “requires SQL Server”.  That’s the only reason these systems are chosen, unless your app is in the top 1% of performance demands or have very specific needs that only proprietary DBs can fulfill.  Yes, there are still things that Oracle, SQL Server, or DB/2 can do that PostGreSQL can do, but that featureset shrinks every year.  99% of the time, people deploying apps using these databases do so either because the stack/ecosystem drives them to, or because they already have a large footprint and it doesn’t make sense to branch out into another platform.

If you’re rooting for a particular database platform, you really would rather it be in the first case instead of the second.

So where is MySQL/MariaDB?  It’s in the second category.

In 2026, MySQL/MariaDB is dead code walking.  The only time people choose MySQL/MariaDB is when their app forces them to.  There is no technical reason to choose MySQL, so people are only deploying it when they have no choice.

WordPress

Take away WordPress, and…what’s left?

Why does WordPress require MySQL?  Legacy.  The wpdb class is supposedly a DB abstraction layer, but since it only abstracts MySQL and does not promise to abstract anything else, it’s really a MySQL DB abstraction layer.  Given that a zillion plugins assume that MySQL is in use and have hardcoded MySQLisms, WordPress won’t be switching any time soon.

There are a couple other major platforms – notably WHMCS and Magneto – but MySQL has become legacy software at this point.  No one is building the next great app on MySQL, and MySQL is losing marketshare to Pg.

Oracle Tapers Off

If you recall, Oracle got MySQL when they bought Sun.  To their credit, they continued investing in MySQL for a while, but that has trailed off.  Here’s some stats on the mysql/mysql-server repository:

• 2010: about 22,360 commits
• 2024: about 4,730 commits
• Since September 2025: more than three months without commits

Last year, Oracle laid off ~two-thirds of the MySQL dev staff.  There is no money in MySQL or much of a network effect any more, so it’s a hard sell to Oracle leadership to continue developing it.

MariaDB famously had an IPO that went bust and they were taken private again a year later, and they are not conquering the world any time soon, either.

Don’t Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

Frankly…good riddance.  I remember in the MySQL 3 days when MySQL said that you didn’t really need foreign keys and referential integrity.  I knew then that the product was garbage.

I’ve always thought that the MySQL model was “we’re going to be a fast database, and we’ll worry about doing things the right way as we go,” while the Pg model was “we’re going to worry about doing things the right way from the start, and then we’ll get faster as we go”.  Does the latter just sound like a better-engineered product?

MySQL will zombie on for many years, but I’m glad it didn’t win.

raindog308

raindog308 is a longtime community LETizen, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, raindog308 runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.

Beyond the command line, raindog308 has a life-long love of German Shepherd Dogs, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, playing guitar, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.

His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.

You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.