Why Swiss eCommerce Leader Glarotech Migrated from MySQL to MariaDB – and What’s Next for PepperShop
In our mission to grow MariaDB adoption, we’re always eager to spotlight the journeys of real-world users – especially those who’ve made thoughtful, strategic choices. Thanks to long-time MariaDB consultant and community champion Oli Sennhauser, we got a chance to sit down with one of his clients: Swiss eCommerce provider Glarotech of the PepperShop platform, and their founder Roland Brühwiler.
When Swiss eCommerce platform provider Glarotech started over 20 years ago, it was a small university project with three people. Today, it has grown to 30 employees and thousands of eCommerce clients – but many of their early choices still echo through their technology stack.
MySQL, PHP – and the LAMP Stack
Back in the early 2000s, Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP were an obvious match (LAMP stack). While Glarotech’s founders had theoretical training in Oracle during university, MySQL stood out as a free, open source database that was seamlessly integrated with PHP, with no licensing costs or other friction.
An early, brief attempt to provide PostgreSQL support never took off – simply because customers were already using MySQL. “There was no evidence to develop it further,” as Roland Brühwiler puts it.
Why Glarotech Switched from MySQL to MariaDB After 20 Years
After nearly two decades with MySQL, Glarotech made the switch to MariaDB three years ago. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a dramatic performance issue or missing feature that triggered the change. It was about trust – or rather, the lack of it.
“It was about licensing and the unclear future of MySQL under Oracle,” Roland says. With MySQL 5.7 stagnating and little communication from Oracle, the future roadmap felt uncertain. “It wasn’t that we had problems. But everything seemed stuck.”
Even popular tools like cPanel, used by Glarotech for server management, started nudging in MariaDB’s direction. The migration from MySQL 5.7 to MariaDB 10.11 went smoothly, and Glarotech hasn’t looked back.
“If you’re still on MySQL simply because it works — that was us too. Until it didn’t feel right anymore.” says Roland. “The switch from MySQL 5.7 to MariaDB 10.11 took less effort than some minor OS upgrades.”
How Glarotech Uses MariaDB for Scalable eCommerce Platform Operations
Glarotech provides a hosted digital commerce platform (eCommerce shops and POS systems) with shared MariaDB-backed databases, all managed through cPanel. The database is seen as a workhorse tool rather than a specialty – used to store and access data reliably. “Our expertise does not lie primarily in database management,” Roland says. “But we’re happy with MariaDB. It does its job.”
The team had occasional challenges with performance and query bottlenecks that have been resolved swiftly, but never serious issues. They’re not chasing advanced database features, since MariaDB’s feature set is already large. Stability and reliability matter more.
Exploring High Availability for MariaDB: What’s Next for Glarotech and PepperShop
As Glarotech looks ahead, they’re interested in high availability solutions for MariaDB – not just failover or replication, but something that’s easy to maintain and robust in production. Galera clustering is on their radar – thanks to the recent acquisition, it might an extra viable option.
They’re open to professional support, as they have already had good experiences with it. Performance issues in the past were sometimes hardware-related, and Glarotech sees value in getting expert help if needed. “We’re not afraid to pay for reliable services,” says Roland.
In Summary: Time to follow Glarotech’s lead and migrate from MySQL to MariaDB
Glarotech’s journey mirrors that of many pragmatic engineering teams: long-standing PHP/MySQL roots, a cautious and clean migration to MariaDB when it made sense, and a no-nonsense approach to database infrastructure.
If your database is stable but your trust in its future isn’t, then it’s time to follow Glarotech’s lead and upgrade from MySQL to MariaDB.
