What's the reason? MariaDB Is a Good Fit For Your Python Backend - (r)

Apr 10, 2023
Learning why MariaDB is a good fit for your Python backend

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The right database to use for your project is essential, especially for backend applications that directly connect to the database. There are a variety of options available with each one suited to specific use cases and with different costs, speeds, and options for scaling.

This article compares MariaDB to other database technologies including MySQL as well as PostgreSQL and discusses the advantages of MariaDB when using Python.

What is it that makes MariaDB Perfect for Python?

With its advanced machine-learning and data manipulation library, Python is an extremely popular language among data experts specifically for data engineering and science. Both of these fields require large amounts of data, increasing the need for storage as well as processing and memory needs.

Although Python is perfectly compatible working with NoSQL databases, the relational ones can be better used for analysis and massive-scale processing of data that are common uses of Python.

Let's examine MariaDB with some other popular open-source relational databases.

MariaDB vs MySQL vs PostgreSQL

Additionally, MariaDB is open-source, therefore its capabilities don't depend on an external entity like MySQL which Oracle currently owns. Although the open-source community can still suggest and add features to MySQL, Oracle (which has a competing database) chooses what it wants to do.

Even though they can benefit the user who created extensions, they aren't always used in the primary PostgreSQL database, and developers may charge users to use their extensions. MariaDB as well as MySQL GNU's license doesn't allow for new features to be privatized All new functionality is available for free.

MariaDB and PostgreSQL have the richest feature sets. But, MariaDB has some convenient features for the Python backend. As an example, MariaDB uses one language to interface with all its different storage engines -the OLAP as well as OLTP systems operate using the same syntax, reducing the burden on the developers.

The Python backend is able to send transaction-like data MariaDB, which can copy this data to a storage engine more suited for analytical queries. Developers can create analytical queries using the same syntax to improve performance.

MariaDB also recently introduced an f-String-like formatting for strings like Python. The format helps users who are using MariaDB using Python from having to switch between languages.

MariaDB Python Connector

In the years prior to 2020 Python programmers connected to MariaDB via MariaDB using MySQL Python package. This was possible since MariaDB is an fork from MySQL, but it implied that MariaDB connections worked in the exact manner like MySQL.

In 2020, a new native MariaDB connector was made available to eliminate dependence on MySQL and give greater control over members of the MariaDB community. It is possible to install the connector with pip, Python's package manager, and use it for all common CRUD usage scenarios.

What the Connector Does

The connector is simple to connect to. You first need to install the MariaDB connector library into your application . Then, you use the following function in order to establish a connection to your MariaDB databases:

import mariadb
attempt connection = mariadb.connect(
user=username,
password=password,host=mariadb_host;port=3306,
database="sales", port=3306,database="sales")
with the exception of mariadb.Error as err:print(f"An error occurred whilst connecting to MariaDB: err")

After connecting, all queries are executed through a cursor object. You obtain the cursor object, then utilize it to make questions.

cursor = conn.cursor()

To submit a query using a prepared statements make use of the word "question mark" to act as a placeholder within the query's text. Then, you must pass in the required values in as a tuple.

ur.execute( "SELECT * FROM sales WHERE sale_date >= ? and price > ", (sale_date_val, price_val))

The input values of the tuple substitute for the questions marks, in order starting from the left. These input values are also sanitized to prevent SQL injection. Built-in protection from SQL injection is beneficial in programming languages such as Python, designed with beginner programmers in mind.

Python and MariaDB to WordPress

Summary

Multiple open-source relational databases, including MariaDB, MySQL, and Postgres could be used as Python backend. However, MariaDB is the most adaptable and versatile option because of its open-source character.

When working with large datasets, MariaDB provides many storage engines. This makes it much faster than its competitors as well as supporting multiple usage cases, from transactional processing to analysis queries. Its flexibility, speed and native Python integration with the MariaDB Python connector make it a great choice as a backend to Python applications that deal with large amounts of data.

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