A former Amazon Web Services engineer argues that MySQL is no longer a true open-source project and recommends switching to MariaDB. Git commit activity on MySQL's GitHub repository has plummeted, with development now happening behind closed doors. The article claims Oracle has not been a good steward since acquiring MySQL in 2009, with the community withering away.

Oracle's handling of MySQL has raised concerns about security and transparency. In 2025 alone, MySQL published 123 CVEs compared to MariaDB's 8, with little detail provided on fixes. Technical development has also stalled, with no major version for six years until 2024, and newer releases reportedly performing worse on write-heavy workloads.

The author stresses that open-source methodology matters for security and sovereignty, not just ideology. MariaDB operates transparently with public development and bug tracking, while MySQL users must trust Oracle's closed process. With Oracle reducing MySQL staff in 2025, the trend suggests the open-source version will continue to decline.