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Galera Cluster vs MySQL

Galera Cluster: Synchronous multi-primary replication for MySQL and MariaDB, now owned by MariaDB plc. MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is none in Galera Cluster and addon in MySQL.
  • Only MySQL has full-text search, geospatial, change data capture, compression, online schema changes.

choose galera-cluster for

  • +High-availability MySQL/MariaDB clusters
  • +Zero-RPO failover inside a region
  • +Geographically spread read replicas with consistent data
  • +Active-active setups behind a load balancer such as MaxScale or ProxySQL

best at · OLTP

choose mysql for

  • +Web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento)
  • +Read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas
  • +Sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess
  • +E-commerce catalogs and order systems

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

Galera ClusterSynchronous multi-primary replication for MySQL and MariaDB, now owned by MariaDB plc.
MySQLThe web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Spatial
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Codership (MariaDB plc)
Oracle Corporation
First release
2009
1995
Latest version
26.4.27 (May 12, 2026)
26.10.0 (Oct 20, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-2.0
Open source (copyleft)GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
10.0
82.3
Rank
#304
#3
GitHub stars
499
12.5K
Stack Overflow questions
406
657K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
Active active
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Multi primary, Distributed
Single node, Primary replica, Multi primary, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
—
✓
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
✓
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
✓
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL
SQL
Client languages
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP
C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, C#
Best for
OLTP
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Geo
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Galera Cluster vs MySQL: FAQ

What is the difference between Galera Cluster and MySQL?

Galera Cluster: Synchronous multi-primary replication for MySQL and MariaDB, now owned by MariaDB plc. MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. Horizontal scaling is none in Galera Cluster and addon in MySQL. Only MySQL has full-text search, geospatial, change data capture, compression, online schema changes.

When should I choose Galera Cluster over MySQL?

Choose Galera Cluster for high-availability MySQL/MariaDB clusters, zero-RPO failover inside a region and geographically spread read replicas with consistent data. Choose MySQL for web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento); read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas; and sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess.

Is Galera Cluster or MySQL more popular?

MySQL ranks #3 on the WhichDB Score (82.3/100) and Galera Cluster ranks #304 (10.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Galera Cluster and MySQL open source?

Yes. Galera Cluster is open source. License: GPL-2.0. Yes. MySQL is open source. License: GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise).