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Getting Started with MariaDB on IBM i

MySQL and MariaDB have long been databases used in the Linux world for popular web apps in PHP and other languages. The collective development components—Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP—are often called the LAMP stack. When PHP was released on IBM i in 2006, the combination of IBM i, Apache, MySQL and PHP became known as the iAMP stack.

This post gives some background on MariaDB and then points to my tutorial on how to install it quickly on IBM i.

UPDATE Nov. 1, 2021: To install MariaDB with Seiden PHP+ and import data from older MySQL databases, see our documentation page: Using MariaDB with Seiden PHP+.

MySQL and MariaDB: a Critical Part of the PHP Ecosystem

Over the years, as many IBM i shops successfully implemented PHP natively on IBM i, the MySQL and PHP marketplace has changed a lot. Oracle purchased the MySQL database engine. The binary-compatible open source version of MySQL became MariaDB. Zend was purchased by Perforce. And the native IBM i versions of MySQL and MariaDB didn’t seem to be getting updated, so it appeared that MySQL/MariaDB didn’t have a future living natively on IBM i.

A Refresh for MariaDB, Courtesy of IBM

Enter 2020, the year of the global pandemic.

As a bright light in the shadow of what has been a crazy year, IBM recently released a current version of the MariaDB database to run natively in PASE on IBM i. The software installs in minutes on IBM i via the Yum-based Open Source Package Management process which is part of Access Client Solutions (ACS). This means that MySQL is once again being fully embraced as a valid IBM i database for storing data for PHP applications such as WordPress. No need to look elsewhere to host your PHP applications and MariaDB data.

Install MariaDB using this Short Tutorial

If you’re interested in a quick start on installing MariaDB on IBM i and getting it up and running, visit my short GitHub how-to tutorial, Install MariaDB on IBM i. Your IBM i will be speaking MariaDB natively in minutes.

Don’t forget to check out the link at the bottom of my tutorial to another in-depth article on MariaDB set up by author Andy Youens, published recently by Power-Wire.

If you have MariaDB or other PHP support or open source development needs for IBM i, give us a call and we’ll be happy to assist your team in fully embracing open source on IBM i.