Published: Sep 26, 2023
Key takeaways:
- Microsoft is phasing out its Azure Database for MariaDB service in favor of Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server.
- The deprecation of Azure Database for MariaDB is scheduled for September 9, 2025.
- Users are encouraged to plan their migrations to Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server to avoid potential disruptions in business workflows.
Microsoft is set to retire its Azure Database for MariaDB service, making way for Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server. This shift was announced yesterday, with the service scheduled for deprecation on September 9, 2025.
Azure Database for MariaDB is a relational database service based on the open-source MariaDB Server engine. It offers a fully managed database platform in the Azure cloud that allows customers to easily deploy, manage, and scale their MariaDB database. Azure Database for MariaDB offers a scalable, secure, and high-performance platform for hosting applications in the cloud.
To prepare for the upcoming change, Microsoft recommends Azure Database for MariaDB customers to switch to Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server instead. It’s a fully managed database service that launched in November 2021 and offers more granular control over database management functions as well as configuration settings.
“As we continue to invest in Azure Database for MySQL and focus our efforts on Flexible Server to make it the best destination for your open-source MySQL workloads, we’ve decided to retire the Azure Database for MariaDB service in two years (September 2025). This will help us focus on Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server to ensure that we are providing the best user experience for our customers,” Microsoft explained.
Microsoft highlighted that Azure Database for MariaDB and Azure Database for MySQL are highly compatible with each other. Moreover, it’s a cost-effective solution and provides support for “burstable tier compute options.” Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server also offers enhanced performance for production workloads with requirements like high scalability and low latency.
Microsoft warned that organizations that will continue to use the Azure Database for MariaDB service could face disruptions in business workflows. The company will drop support for creating new MariaDB server instances through the Azure Portal on December 19, 2023. Secondly, customers will no longer be able to use the Azure CLI tool for creating new MariaDB instances starting March 19, 2024.
Finally, Microsoft plans to delete the Azure Database for MariaDB workloads and associated application data on September 19, 2025. The company advises customers to begin planning migrations in their tenants as soon as possible. Microsoft has also published a guide to help IT admins switch to Azure Database for MySQL, and you can find more details on this support page.