MariaDB

The mariadb driver connects to MariaDB. It is built into the tobira binary and shares the MySQL driver’s code, so everything on that page about connecting, TLS, browsing, editing, transactions and completion applies. This page lists what differs.

Quick start

tobira query "mariadb://reader@db.internal:3306/app?tls=true" "select now()" --read-only

connections:
  - name: maria
    dsn: mariadb://app@db.internal:3306/app?tls=true
    password: env:MARIA_PASSWORD

Connecting

DSN	Result
`mariadb://user@host:3306/db`	MariaDB, through the `mariadb` driver
`mysql://user@host:3306/db?flavor=mariadb`	the same, through the `mysql` driver
`mysql://user@host:3306/db`	tobira asks the server when it connects and detects MariaDB
`user@tcp(host:3306)/db` with `driver: mariadb`	MariaDB, in go-sql-driver’s form

tobira also detects a MariaDB whose version string was changed to look like MySQL.

Capabilities

The same as MySQL: query, browse, edit rows, transactions, explain, completion and the read-only guard.

Explain

MariaDB has no FORMAT=TREE. The plan tree comes from EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON and the text plan is the classic EXPLAIN table. ANALYZE is never used. On a read-only connection, explaining INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE is refused by the server.

Types and browsing

JSON is an alias for LONGTEXT in MariaDB, so JSON columns show as text.
UUID, INET4 and INET6 columns show as text.
Literal defaults are shown as MariaDB stores them; a column without a default shows none.
Indexes list their columns; expression key parts are not shown.

Read-only guard

	Supported versions
Writable connections	any MariaDB version
Read-only connections, `--read-only` calls, read-only transactions	MariaDB 11.1 to 11.x

MariaDB 10.x lacks the transaction_read_only variable, so a read-only connection fails with read-only access needs a server with the transaction_read_only variable.
On MariaDB 12 and later, a read-only connection fails with read-only access needs MariaDB 11.1 to 11.x.
Forcing flavor=mysql onto MariaDB, or flavor=mariadb onto MySQL, also turns read-only off.

The guard works as on MySQL. MariaDB adds:

/*M! ... */ executable comments are refused like /*! ... */.
Sequence functions (NEXTVAL, NEXT VALUE FOR, SETVAL) are refused by MariaDB inside the read-only transaction.
RETURNING, compound statements (BEGIN NOT ATOMIC, IF, WHILE), SET STATEMENT ... FOR, EXECUTE IMMEDIATE and ANALYZE SELECT are outside the allow-list.

sql_mode. Some modes change how MariaDB reads quotes and brackets, which would make the guard misread your text. On every read-only call and every transaction, tobira checks the session’s sql_mode. ANSI, ANSI_QUOTES, NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES, TRADITIONAL and the strict and zero-date flags are fine. MSSQL, ORACLE, POSTGRESQL, DB2, MAXDB or an unknown flag make the call fail as unsupported.

What it cannot stop. CONNECT tables with EXECSRC, SPIDER tables and FEDERATED/FEDERATEDX tables send statements to another server when they are read. Those run outside the local read-only transaction, so selecting from such a table can change the remote side. Only an administrator can create them. On a server that has them, rely on the remote account’s grants too, or connect as a user with only SELECT grants.

Compatibility

Tested with MariaDB 11.8.9.