Serverless MariaDB
Free MariaDB, $0/mo with no card: a real endpoint in seconds, speaking the MySQL wire protocol, so the MySQL drivers you already use connect unchanged. The same operational shape across cloud, desktop, and self-host.
Tables
- users
- events
- orders
- sessions
| id | name | created_at |
|---|---|---|
| 1247 | signup | 2026-03-12 14:21 |
| 1246 | purchase | 2026-03-12 14:08 |
| 1245 | login | 2026-03-12 13:55 |
| 1244 | signup | 2026-03-12 13:44 |
| 1243 | purchase | 2026-03-12 13:30 |
Free tier
$0/mo, no credit card
Then flat
$5 or $15/mo, no meters
Encrypted
TLS on every plan
Layerbase Cloud
Managed, in seconds
Desktop and CLI
Run it locally or self-host
Branching
Branch MariaDB in seconds, on the free tier
Fork a running MariaDB into a full, isolated copy with its own connection string. Copy-on-write makes it near-instant rather than a dump and restore, so a preview deploy, a CI job, and a risky migration can each get their own database and be deleted afterwards. MariaDB speaks the MySQL wire protocol, so most MySQL drivers connect to a branch unchanged.
See how branching workslbase cloud branch app-db pr-482
lbase cloud branch ls app-db
lbase cloud branch delete app-db pr-482Quick start
Connect with any MariaDB client
MariaDB-native features, MySQL-compatible apps, and teams moving workloads off hosted MariaDB services.
- Run MariaDB-specific features (Aria, ColumnStore, sequence support) without managing the binary
- Drop in as a MySQL-compatible backend for existing apps
- Per-environment databases for staging and dev that mirror production exactly
- Local development with the Layerbase CLI, deploy the same schema to cloud
- Self-host on your own hardware when you need control over the major version
mariadb --ssl --host your-host.cloud.layerbase.dev --port <port> --user layerbase --password app
Where to run it
Cloud, desktop, or self-host
One database, three places it can live. Pick the speed you want and move between them when you outgrow it.
Free MariaDB hosting
What the free MariaDB tier actually includes
MariaDB is on the Free plan at $0/mo, no card and no trial clock. MySQL is not: it moved to the $5/mo Solo tier in July 2026, which makes MariaDB the way to run a MySQL wire-compatible database here for free.
Free is $0/mo with no card
The Free plan covers 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections. MariaDB is a free-tier engine. MySQL is not, so if the goal is a free MySQL-compatible database, this is the one to create.
Your MySQL drivers connect unchanged
MariaDB speaks the MySQL wire protocol over TLS through a ProxySQL pooler. mysql2, Prisma, Drizzle, and the mysql and mariadb CLIs all work. Each database gets its own allocated TLS port instead of a shared 3306, so copy the exact port from Quick Connect.
Idle databases sleep, and MariaDB takes about 20 seconds to wake
A free MariaDB hibernates after 30 minutes with no connections; paid plans wait 6 hours. It wakes on connect: the first connection is held open while the engine starts. The cold start runs around 20 seconds though, longer than some client connect timeouts, so give your client a 30 second connect timeout or expect the first attempt to time out and retry. You can also start it from the database page before you connect, or put it on Always-on with a paid plan so it never sleeps.
Forget about it and it archives, it does not vanish
A free database left hibernated for 14 days is archived (7 days if you never connected to it): its address is released and it takes an explicit Restore, roughly 10 to 30 seconds, to bring it back. Data and backups are kept. After 90 continuous days archived the live resources are reclaimed and the most recent backup is kept and still restorable in one click. Paid plans are never auto-archived.
No card on Free. Solo is $5/mo and Pro is $15/mo when you outgrow it.
FAQ
Common MariaDB questions
What is MariaDB?
MariaDB is a community-developed fork of MySQL that speaks the same wire protocol while adding features of its own, such as Aria, ColumnStore, and sequence support. Because the protocol matches, most MySQL drivers and tools connect to it without code changes. Layerbase runs MariaDB as a managed endpoint on the Free plan, with TLS, a web SQL console, and hibernation when it goes idle.
How is MariaDB different from MySQL on Layerbase?
They are separate engines with separate endpoints. MariaDB exposes MariaDB-specific features that diverge from MySQL; both speak the MySQL wire protocol so most clients connect to either without code changes.
Which MariaDB version does Layerbase run?
Layerbase Cloud tracks recent stable MariaDB releases. The supported versions list is visible in the create flow.
Can I use the mysql or mariadb command line client?
Either works. Most drivers and tools that target MySQL also work against MariaDB unchanged; for MariaDB-specific features, prefer the MariaDB-native driver where one exists.
How does hibernation work for MariaDB on Layerbase?
A free MariaDB hibernates after 30 minutes of inactivity, the longer of the two free windows: MySQL and MariaDB cold-start slowly, so they get 30 minutes where most engines get 15. Paid plans hibernate after 6 hours, or stay always-on when pinned to your plan pool. It does wake on connect: the first connection is held open while the engine starts. The cold start is around 20 seconds though, so give your client a 30 second connect timeout, or expect the first attempt to time out and retry. You can also start it from the database page before you connect, or pin it always-on on a paid plan so it never sleeps.
Can I run MariaDB locally too?
Yes. The Layerbase CLI and Layerbase Desktop both support MariaDB locally with the same versions you see in cloud.
Is there a free MariaDB tier?
Yes. MariaDB is on the Free plan at $0/mo with no card: 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections. MySQL is not on the free tier, so MariaDB is the way to run a MySQL wire-compatible database here for free. Most MySQL drivers connect to it unchanged.
Is free MariaDB cloud hosting a trial?
No. The Free plan has no expiry date and asks for no card. What it does have is scale-to-zero: a free MariaDB hibernates after 30 minutes idle, and one left hibernated for 14 days (7 if you never connected to it) is archived until you restore it, which takes about 10 to 30 seconds. Data and backups are kept throughout. Paid plans hibernate after 6 hours and are never auto-archived.
What happens when my free MariaDB database goes idle?
It hibernates and keeps its hostname, port, and data. It does wake on connect: the first connection is held open while the engine starts. The cold start is around 20 seconds though, so give your client a 30 second connect timeout, or expect the first attempt to time out and retry. You can also start it from the database page before you connect, or pin it always-on on a paid plan so it never sleeps.
Branch MariaDB in seconds
Fork a running MariaDB into a full, isolated copy with its own connection string. Copy-on-write makes it near-instant, not a dump and restore. Point a preview deploy at it, test a migration, then throw it away. Layerbase branches 16 engines, not just Postgres.
See how branching worksWhat you get
Everything a MariaDB database should ship with
The same primitives on every MariaDB database: TLS, web console, hibernation, and a real dashboard. The rows that need a paid plan say so on the row; nothing here is hidden behind a sales call.
Web IDE
Query console in the dashboard, no extra client to install.
TLS by default
All connections encrypted. No setup required.
Always-on connections
Pin a database to your plan's always-on pool so it never hibernates. Free has no pool, so a free database always sleeps when idle; Solo includes 768 MB of pool and Pro 1.5 GB.
Scale to zero
Hibernates when idle. Wakes on the next connection.
Connection pooling
Pooled endpoint for serverless and edge workloads.
Direct connections
Bypass the pooler for migrations and replication.
Native HTTPS endpoint
Engines whose own wire protocol speaks HTTPS. Every database, including this one, is also queryable over the platform's HTTPS query API and web console.
Serverless driver
Drop-in HTTP driver for edge runtimes (Neon serverless, PlanetScale, Upstash REST, or the engine-native client).
IP whitelisting
Restrict access to specific IPs or CIDR ranges.
Automatic backups
Scheduled dumps and volume snapshots with one-click restore on paid plans. Free includes 1 manual backup slot you take and restore yourself.
What it costs
What MariaDB costs on Layerbase
Plans are flat. There is no per-hour compute meter, no per-database line item, and no ingress or egress fee, so the bill does not change shape when your traffic does. You do not need an AWS, GCP, or Azure account either: Layerbase runs the infrastructure.
Scale to zero when idle. No credit card.
The database you pin never sleeps.
Every engine, plus a bigger always-on pool.
Side by side
Hosted MariaDB, compared
| Provider | Free tier | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| PlanetScale | Does not offer MariaDB | MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres only |
| Layerbase | Full MariaDB on the Free tier; sleeps when idle, wakes on connect | $0, $5, or $15/mo flat. No meters. |
PlanetScale
- Free tier
- Does not offer MariaDB
- Billing
- MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres only
Layerbase
- Free tier
- Full MariaDB on the Free tier; sleeps when idle, wakes on connect
- Billing
- $0, $5, or $15/mo flat. No meters.
Competitor facts verified September 7, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing and documentation pages: PlanetScale.
Already have data? Migrate it from PlanetScale, DigitalOcean Any connection string works too.
More on MariaDB
All articles- August 23, 2026
Free MySQL hosting: start on MariaDB, upgrade to MySQL when you need it
MySQL is not on the Layerbase free tier and MariaDB is, and they speak the same wire protocol. Here is the dump command that survives a restricted source account, every error the restore actually throws, what MySQL keeps that MariaDB does not, and the route back to real MySQL later.
Read - August 22, 2026
Moving a MySQL database off cPanel shared hosting
Your database is on a shared host that binds MySQL to localhost, runs a version you did not pick, and keeps the only backup. Here is the whole move: getting a dump that is actually complete, landing it on managed MariaDB, repointing the app, and the parts of shared hosting you will genuinely miss.
Read - June 23, 2026
Should you use Cloud Clusters MariaDB hosting (maclusters)?
A fair review of Cloud Clusters MariaDB hosting (maclusters.com) and an honest comparison with Layerbase Cloud: free tier, MariaDB version, branching, the web query console, and local tooling.
Read - June 23, 2026
Migrating from PlanetScale to Layerbase
PlanetScale retired its free Hobby tier, and the smallest Vitess MySQL cluster is now a 3-node HA SKU at $39 a month. Here is how to move to plain managed MySQL on Layerbase: what changes, how to copy your data with one service token, and the driver swap.
Read - June 14, 2026
Branching with any database
Neon branches Postgres. PlanetScale branches MySQL. Layerbase branches all of them, because branching happens at the filesystem, not inside the engine. Here is how it works.
Read
Upstream project
MariaDB Server is developed by the MariaDB Foundation. Layerbase packages and hosts official releases; the engine itself is built upstream.