For starters, yes, Percona has chosen sides. We are a company of open source proponents. We’re also dedicated and active participants in the global open source community.
But the intent here is to be informative, not to declare a winner between the two. Both open source and proprietary options have advantages. At the same time, it’s hard to ignore key differences and how they affect customers. We also know that enterprise-grade features matter, so please read on. In election parlance, there might be a surprise third-party candidate that will win your vote.
Let’s start with a simple introductory comparison: With proprietary (closed source) database software, the public does not have access to the source code; only the company that owns it and those given access can modify it. With open source database software, anyone in the general public can access the source code, read it, and modify it.
Dispelling a couple of myths
Before expanding on the comparison, let’s dispel the most common myths about open source software:
Myth #1: Open source is less secure.
Sure, without the right protections, open source software can be vulnerable, but those protections exist and can be implemented. People assume that because the code is public, attackers can have at it and easily wreak havoc. That’s not so.
With the code open to all, it’s truly transparent (DevOps.com, April 2021); security is scrutinized, and vulnerabilities are addressed by experts globally. Those most involved with open source software know the reality about security. Since the early 2000s, research has repeatedly shown that open source software is no more vulnerable than proprietary software. Those on the front lines echo those findings. A 2021 Red Hat survey showed that 89% of IT leaders see enterprise open source software as equally or more secure than proprietary software.
In contrast to the abundant support of the open source community, with proprietary systems, the software vendor must address and fix the problem, which often means providing a patch. Further, the developers of proprietary software aren’t always transparent about vulnerabilities, so software users might not know about threats until it’s too late.
And about attackers: They often use hacking programs instead of attacking the code directly. They don’t need access to examine the code for hacking purposes (TA Digital, July 2021). Attackers find and exploit vulnerabilities in proprietary software all the time.
Myth #2: Proprietary databases are better and therefore more suitable for large enterprises.
Again, in the case of proprietary software, the developers and DBAs come from within one company or a limited team. Conversely, with open source, a global community contributes.
The transparency of the open source model makes input inclusive and creates an abundance of scrutiny and support (Forbes, January 2022). The multitude of checks and balances places a premium on how the code affects performance.
Another part of this myth is that open source can’t be enterprise-grade. With the right expertise, you can have an enterprise-grade open source solution. Here’s a small sampling of leading corporations that use open source software: Amazon, Audi, BMW, Google, IBM, and Facebook (CodeSnail, August 2022). The list goes on and on.
Now, myths aside, let’s get down to the brass tacks of database comparisons. Each of our subjects has its pros and cons.
Proprietary database software
Proprietary software can be beneficial for addressing immediate and/or focused database concerns. Sometimes a vendor will have an innovative way of solving a problem when there aren’t alternatives available on the market. A company will enter a relationship with that vendor because the vendor’s solution addresses present business objectives. Additionally, a single-vendor relationship can eliminate complexity; in some cases, the vendor’s solution can simplify the environment and ensure that all components work together.
The benefits described above often are attributed solely — and inaccurately — to proprietary software only. For some, proprietary is synonymous with business/enterprise-grade. Consequently, some organizations might not even consider using open source software, or they’ll quickly dismiss it because of a perceived lack of expertise, support, etc.
Those same customers, and others, often aren’t aware that proprietary software can limit creative options and the ability to scale. Those limitations can increasingly draw from a customer’s tech budget. As business objectives change, along with industry standards and technological advances, a customer can be stuck with software and upgrades that make more sense for the vendor’s bottom line than for addressing the customer’s changing needs. For example, the vendor might push a cloud-based solution when the customer prefers to keep its infrastructure on-premises.
Additionally, with proprietary software, there can be drawbacks related to certifications. When you deploy software in a proprietary arrangement, the vendor might certify it only against a specific database or set of databases. Your apps, therefore, must run on one particular server.
Being stuck with a single vendor and its software can result in vendor lock-in that makes you susceptible to price hikes, paying for bundled technology with components you don’t need, and an inability to change software and infrastructure to meet unique business needs.
Open source database software
Upstream open source projects are free to download and use. There are no licensing or purchasing fees for reusing, modifying, or distributing the software. Beyond the obvious cost-efficiency, many IT leaders consider the quality of open source software on par with that of proprietary software. In fact, 32% of IT leaders in a Red Hat survey consider open source enterprise software to be of higher quality.
Free of licensing restrictions and escalating costs that can come with proprietary software, developers can download open source software and use it to create new applications. Those freedoms help companies optimize limited tech budgets. They can more easily scale infrastructure — up or down — to meet economic conditions and changing business objectives.
And there is the aforementioned online open source community. Whereas proprietary products exist at the whim of a single vendor, a strong open source community can help ensure a project carries on even if challenges arise for some of the project’s supporting companies. Additionally, with open source, companies can deploy their databases anywhere — in cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments — and move them at any time.
A lack of readily available support and expertise, however, can offset the potential savings of open source database software. There must be careful implementation of the right protection to avoid vulnerabilities. And to achieve database objectives across the enterprise, a company that uses open source software often must either bolster its on-staff expertise or turn to outside support. Either option can be costly.
The best of both worlds — enterprise-grade open source software
Undoubtedly, you liked some of the attributes from each side. So how do you choose?
You don’t have to. There’s a third-party candidate offering the best of both worlds — open source database software with enterprise-grade features.
This option couples the cost-efficiency and scalability of open source with the simplicity (task-focused), cohesiveness (components work together), and security of proprietary software. With the right extensions and add-ons to make it enterprise-grade, an open source solution can replicate the applications a company uses and can handle the performance requirements of the company’s most critical workloads. A flexible, open source enterprise setup enables deployment and operation on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid environment.
It’s important, however, to emphasize these words of caution: The phrase “enterprise-grade” is used a lot, but few vendors provide open source software that meets the demanding mix of enterprise needs related to integration, productivity, scalability, and security. And even when those needs are met, they’re soon to evolve. Therefore, enterprise-grade software — like community versions — still requires support. When seeking such support, it’s important to find a vendor that provides multi-database support, technology-agnostic expertise, and a flexible contract.
The search can be challenging, but vendors who provide true enterprise-grade open source software do exist. We happen to know of one.
You can learn more about the differences between open source and proprietary database software in The Ultimate Guide to Open Source Databases.
When you’re choosing a database, consider Percona
Percona is dedicated to making databases and applications run better through a combination of expertise and open source software. Our enterprise-grade distributions include the following:
- Percona Distribution for MySQL: This single solution delivers optimized performance, greater scalability and availability, and enhanced backups — for even the most demanding workloads.
- Percona Distribution for PostgreSQL: Put the best and most critical enterprise components from the open source community to work for you — in a single distribution, designed and tested to work together.
- Percona Distribution for MongoDB: Ensure data availability while improving security and simplifying the development of new applications — in the most demanding public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.
Percona backs its enterprise-grade distributions with varying levels of support. We’ll provide support that best fits the needs of your company or organization — without a restrictive contract.
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