MariaDB vs Valkey
MariaDB, Valkey compared on license, free-edition limits, deployment and project health. Change a project below to compare something else.
| MariaDB | Valkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backend & Databases | Backend & Databases |
| License | GNU General Public License v2.0Open source (OSI) | BSD 3-Clause LicenseOpen source (OSI) |
| Free edition | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Deployment | Self-hosted · Cloud | Self-hosted |
| Self-hosting setup | Single container | Single container |
| SSO / SAML | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Role-based access control | Free | Free |
| Audit logs | Free | Not confirmed |
| Multi-user / teams | Not confirmed | Free |
| Backups and restore | Free | Free |
| API access | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Support SLA | Paid | Not confirmed |
| GitHub stars | 8.4k | 27k |
| Last release | Sep 15, 2026 | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Alternative to | MySQL, Oracle Database | Redis |
In short
- MariaDB is licensed GNU General Public License v2.0 (open source (osi)). Free edition: not confirmed.
- Valkey is licensed BSD 3-Clause License (open source (osi)). Free edition: not confirmed.
Each project page lists the official sources behind these answers. Where the official pages do not say, the table shows “Not confirmed”.