The MariaDB Foundation has released MariaDB 11.8, bringing AI-ready features and enterprise database capabilities to the open-source MySQL alternative.
Vector Index Support
MariaDB 11.8 adds native vector similarity search with HNSW (Hierarchical Navigable Small World) indexes:
- Store and search vector embeddings directly in MariaDB
- HNSW indexes for approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) queries
- Support for up to 2048-dimensional vectors
- Integration with SQL — combine vector search with traditional WHERE clauses
Oracle Compatibility
The new Oracle compatibility mode allows running Oracle PL/SQL procedures in MariaDB with minimal modification, easing migration from Oracle databases:
- PL/SQL anonymous blocks and named procedures
- Oracle-style exception handling
- ROWNUM pseudo-column support
- NVL, DECODE, and other Oracle functions
InnoDB Performance
Improvements to the InnoDB buffer pool and lock system deliver 20-30% better throughput for high-concurrency OLTP workloads with 100+ connections.
