mariadb-c 2.0.0rc2

Python MariaDB extension

mariadb-c

mariadb-c is the C extension backend for the mariadb connector. It provides a compiled native module (mariadb_c) that the mariadb package selects automatically when installed alongside it, replacing the pure-Python implementation with a significantly faster alternative.

Relationship to mariadb

Package	Description
mariadb	Main connector — pure Python, works out of the box
mariadb-c	C extension backend — install alongside mariadb for better performance
mariadb-binary	Pre-compiled binary wheels with bundled dependencies (recommended for most users)
mariadb-pool	Connection pool add-on

When mariadb-c is installed, the mariadb package detects and uses it automatically — no code changes required.

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.10
• MariaDB Connector/C ≥ 3.3 (headers and library must be available at build time)

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install libmariadb-dev

On RHEL/Fedora:

sudo dnf install mariadb-connector-c-devel

On macOS:

brew install mariadb-connector-c

Installation

Install mariadb together with mariadb-c to get the C-accelerated connector:

pip install mariadb[c]

Or, if you prefer pre-built binary wheels that bundle all native dependencies (no compiler needed):

pip install mariadb mariadb-binary

Usage

No API changes — import mariadb as usual:

import mariadb

conn = mariadb.connect(
    user="alice",
    password="secret",
    host="localhost",
    database="mydb",
)
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT @@version")
print(cursor.fetchone())
conn.close()

To verify which backend is active:

import mariadb

print(mariadb.__version__)       # e.g. "2.0.0rc1-c"
print(mariadb.__version_type__)  # "c"

Links

• mariadb on PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/mariadb/
• Documentation: https://mariadb-corporation.github.io/mariadb-connector-python/
• Source code: https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-python
• Bug tracker: https://jira.mariadb.org/