Last checked and updated on 10 Jun 2026
What Is New in MariaDB 10.11
MariaDB 10.11 is a long-term support (LTS) release maintained until February 2028. It serves as a stable foundation that brings together improvements from the 10.6 series and adds new capabilities focused on better query performance, enhanced replication, stronger security defaults, and useful JSON and data handling features.
This release is particularly suitable for production environments that require long-term stability while benefiting from modern optimizations and security enhancements.
Optimizer and Performance Improvements
MariaDB 10.11 includes several important enhancements to the query optimizer and overall performance.
| Area | Improvement | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Optimizer | ANALYZE FORMAT=JSON |
Now shows time spent in the query optimizer. |
| Join Optimization | Better handling of joins with many tables (including eq_ref) |
Faster execution for complex queries. |
| Histograms | Stored as JSON instead of binary | More precise statistics and better query plans. |
| Descending Indexes | Support for explicit ASC/DESC on individual index columns | Improved performance for ORDER BY queries that need descending order. |
| Collation | Faster performance for simple multibyte collations on ASCII range | Better speed for common text operations. |
InnoDB and Storage Engine Enhancements
Several changes improve InnoDB efficiency and concurrency.
- Bulk insert now pre-sorts data and builds indexes page-by-page for better performance.
- InnoDB buffer pool has been reorganized (chunks removed) for improved memory management.
- Redo log concurrency has been improved.
innodb_write_io_threads,innodb_read_io_threads, andinnodb_log_file_sizeare now dynamic.innodb_change_bufferingis deprecated.
Replication Improvements
Replication in MariaDB 10.11 is more reliable and flexible.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
CHANGE MASTER TO |
Defaults to GTID-based replication when the master supports it. |
slave_max_statement_time |
Limits maximum execution time for replicated statements. |
mariadb-binlog |
Supports GTID range filtering, --gtid-strict-mode, and new filtering options (--do-domain-ids, --ignore-domain-ids, --ignore-server-ids). |
ALTER TABLE replication |
Starts executing on replicas as soon as it begins on the primary, reducing lag. |
| Multi-source replication | Supports MySQL-style CHANNEL syntax. |
Security and Authentication Enhancements
Security features are stronger and more convenient in this release.
- New
password_reuse_checkplugin prevents reuse of recent passwords within a configurable period. bind_addressnow accepts a comma-separated list of addresses.- Separation of
SUPERandREAD ONLY ADMINprivileges. - HashiCorp Vault Key Management Plugin for encryption key management.
- SSL is enabled by default for the
mariadbclient. explicit_defaults_for_timestampdefault is nowON.
New Functions and Data Types
MariaDB 10.11 adds several practical new functions and data types.
| Category | Feature | Description |
|---|---|---|
| JSON | JSON_EQUALS |
Compares two JSON documents for equality. |
| JSON | JSON_NORMALIZE |
Recursively sorts keys and removes whitespace for consistent comparison. |
| Security | RANDOM_BYTES |
Generates random bytes of a specified length. |
| Utility | SFORMAT |
Formats text using a simple template syntax. |
| Data Type | INET4 |
New native data type for IPv4 addresses. |
| Checksum | CRC32C |
CRC32 with Castagnoli polynomial (optional argument supported). |
Backup, System Versioning and Tools
Improvements to backup and system-versioned tables make data management easier.
mariadb-dumpnow supports dumping and restoring historical data from system-versioned tables, including dumping as of a specific timestamp.- New
system_versioning_insert_historyvariable allows controlled modification of history rows. - Spider storage engine now uses
REMOTE_SERVER,REMOTE_DATABASE, andREMOTE_TABLEattributes instead of theCOMMENTfield. - New
ALTER TABLE ... CONVERT PARTITION TO TABLEand reverse syntax for easy partition management.
Other Notable Changes
Additional improvements include new compression provider plugins (bzip2, lzma, lz4, lzo, snappy), UCA 14.0.0 collations, better Windows Unicode support, GET DIAGNOSTICS with ROW_NUMBER, and various deprecations such as DES_ENCRYPT/DECRYPT and keep_files_on_create.
FAQ
What is the main focus of MariaDB 10.11?
MariaDB 10.11 focuses on performance improvements (especially the optimizer and InnoDB), better replication with GTID defaults, stronger security features, and useful new JSON functions.
Is MariaDB 10.11 a long-term support release?
Yes. It is an LTS release supported until February 2028.
Does MariaDB 10.11 include vector search?
No. Native vector support was introduced later in MariaDB 11.8.
What security changes are important in MariaDB 10.11?
The new password_reuse_check plugin, separation of SUPER and READ ONLY ADMIN privileges, and SSL enabled by default for the client are key improvements.
Are there any notable deprecations in this release?
Yes. Functions DES_ENCRYPT and DECRYPT are deprecated, innodb_change_buffering is deprecated, and several slow query log variable names have been renamed.