5-minute Quickstart
Three shortest paths to a working MariaDB — Docker, native install, or cloud
docker run -d --name mariadb-dev \
-e MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=devpass \
-e MARIADB_DATABASE=playground \
-p 3306:3306 \
mariadb:lts
docker exec -it mariadb-dev mariadb -uroot -pdevpass playgroundThen try:
SELECT VERSION();
CREATE TABLE hello (id INT, msg VARCHAR(64));
INSERT INTO hello VALUES (1, 'Hello MariaDB');
SELECT * FROM hello;brew install mariadb
brew services start mariadb
mariadb -u root
# recommended:
sudo mariadb-secure-installationUbuntu 24.04, official MariaDB repo:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https curl
sudo curl -o /etc/apt/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.pgp \
https://mariadb.org/mariadb_release_signing_key.pgp
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.pgp] \
https://deb.mariadb.org/12.3/ubuntu noble main" \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mariadb.sources
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mariadb-server
sudo mariadb-secure-installationWhat version did I just install?
SELECT VERSION();
-- e.g. 11.4.4-MariaDB| Version | Status | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
12.3.x | Latest LTS (2026-05) | Production |
11.8.x | LTS, VECTOR GA (until 2028) | Still maintained; pick for vectors |
11.4.x | LTS until 2029 (last 5-year one) | Conservative deployments |
12.2.x / 12.1.x / 12.0.x | Old rolling mainline, now EOL | Superseded by 12.3 — don't start new |
10.11.x | Previous LTS | Older deployments |
≤ 10.6.x | EOL or near EOL (10.6 → 2026-07) | Upgrade ASAP |
See Versions & forks.
Can't connect? Check port conflicts (lsof -i :3306), docker logs, and the password.