Mariadb Core Defaults And SQL Modes

MariaDB Defaults and SQL Modes

How implicit server defaults shift between MariaDB versions, why an unchanged query starts failing after an upgrade, and what every production my.cnf MUST pin explicitly. Read this before upgrading LTS lines, migrating from MySQL, or filing a "regression" bug.

Quick Reference

• MariaDB sql_mode default differs per LTS line ; ALWAYS pin sql_mode explicitly in [mysqld] for production.
• 10.2.4+ default sql_mode : STRICT_TRANS_TABLES,ERROR_FOR_DIVISION_BY_ZERO,NO_AUTO_CREATE_USER,NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION. Same string applies to 10.6, 10.11, 11.x, 12.x stock builds.
• utf8 is a 3-byte alias for utf8mb3. Use utf8mb4 for full Unicode (emoji, supplementary planes above U+FFFF).
• TWO SEPARATE default changes : (A) the server default charset character_set_server flipped from latin1 to utf8mb4 in 11.6 ; (B) the default collation OF the utf8mb4 charset flipped from utf8mb4_general_ci to utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci one release earlier, in 11.5. Because the server charset stayed latin1 through 11.5, the effective collation_server only becomes utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci in 11.6 (when the server charset itself becomes utf8mb4). 10.6 LTS and 10.11 LTS stock builds still default to latin1 / latin1_swedish_ci. Debian / Ubuntu distro packages override to utf8mb4.
• Default binlog_format is MIXED since 10.2.3 (NOT ROW).
• Default sync_binlog=0 trades durability for write throughput ; set sync_binlog=1 for crash-safe binlog on a primary.
• Default innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=1 (full ACID).
• Default default_storage_engine=InnoDB since 10.2.
• Default authentication plug-in is still mysql_native_password (SHA-1) ; ALWAYS choose ed25519 explicitly for new users (available since 10.1.21).
• lower_case_table_names defaults : Linux 0, Windows 1, macOS 2. CANNOT be changed after mariadb-install-db.
• sql_mode scope is session and global ONLY. There is NO per-database sql_mode.
• Stored programs and views lock in the sql_mode value that was active at CREATE-time. Later global changes do NOT affect them.
• ALWAYS run SELECT @@version, @@sql_mode, @@character_set_server, @@collation_server, @@binlog_format, @@sync_binlog; before declaring a config "the same as before".
• NEVER edit /etc/my.cnf and assume the running server picked it up ; mysqld reads option files at startup only.

Default sql_mode by Version

Distro packages (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL) sometimes ship overrides in /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/*.cnf. ALWAYS verify with SELECT @@sql_mode; on the live instance.

Decision Tree : Setting sql_mode

1. Are you running a new production instance ?
   • YES : pin sql_mode='STRICT_TRANS_TABLES,STRICT_ALL_TABLES,NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION,NO_ZERO_DATE,NO_ZERO_IN_DATE,ERROR_FOR_DIVISION_BY_ZERO' in [mysqld].
   • NO : continue.
2. Are you upgrading from MariaDB <= 10.1 ?
   • YES : explicitly set sql_mode='' first, deploy, then enable strict modes one at a time after data validation. Stock 10.2.4+ default flips strict ON.
3. Are you migrating from MySQL 8 ?
   • YES : copy the source @@sql_mode exactly (SELECT @@sql_mode on MySQL), pin it in MariaDB [mysqld], then plan to remove ONLY_FULL_GROUP_BY and NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO only after auditing app code.
4. Do you need ANSI standard quoting ("col" as identifier) ?
   • YES : set sql_mode='ANSI_QUOTES,...' GLOBALLY, never per-session, because stored programs capture sql_mode at CREATE time.

Decision Tree : Default Charset

1. Is the install fresh and < 11.6 ?
   • YES : ALWAYS set in [mysqld] :

     character-set-server = utf8mb4
     collation-server = utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci
     

2. Is the install 11.6+ ?
   • YES : the stock default is already utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci. Still pin explicitly to survive future default-shifts.
3. Are you migrating an existing DB ?
   • YES : convert per table with ALTER TABLE t CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci;. The server default only affects NEW tables, not existing ones.
4. Do you see Incorrect string value: '\xF0\x9F...' errors ?
   • That is the emoji-in-utf8mb3 trap. The column is utf8 (3-byte), not utf8mb4. Convert the column.

SQL Mode Scope and Stored-Program Lock-In

sql_mode exists at TWO scopes only :

• @@global.sql_mode : applied to every new connection at login time. Requires SUPER (or SET_USER_ID) privilege to change.
• @@session.sql_mode : per-connection override, lasts until disconnect.

There is NO ALTER DATABASE ... SQL_MODE ... and NO per-table sql_mode. Anyone telling you otherwise is conflating MariaDB with another DBMS.

Stored procedures, functions, triggers, events, and views CAPTURE the current @@session.sql_mode value at CREATE time and lock it into the routine metadata. Subsequent SET GLOBAL sql_mode = ... does NOT change the routine's effective mode. To rotate a procedure's mode you MUST DROP and recreate with the desired session sql_mode active. Verify with :

SELECT routine_name, sql_mode
FROM information_schema.routines
WHERE routine_schema = DATABASE();

my.cnf Option-File Lookup

MariaDB mysqld reads option files at startup in this order on Linux (later files override earlier ones for the same option) :

1. /etc/my.cnf
2. /etc/mysql/my.cnf
3. $MYSQL_HOME/my.cnf (typically /var/lib/mysql/my.cnf or /usr/local/mysql/my.cnf)
4. The file named by --defaults-extra-file=<path> if passed on the command line
5. ~/.my.cnf
6. ~/.mylogin.cnf (obfuscated credentials for the mariadb client only)

Distro packages add an include directive in /etc/mysql/my.cnf :

!includedir /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/
!includedir /etc/mysql/conf.d/

Files in those directories are read in alphabetical order. A 99-custom.cnf overrides a 50-server.cnf.

Section selection : [mysqld] for the server daemon, [mariadb] for MariaDB-specific options ignored by MySQL clients, [client] for every official client (mariadb, mariadb-dump, etc.), [mariadb-10.11] for version-specific overrides. The [server] group is read by all server-side programs.

ALWAYS reload (systemctl restart mariadb) after editing option files ; SET GLOBAL changes the running value but does NOT persist across restart unless ALSO written to the option file.

Default Variables That Bite on Upgrade

Production-Ready my.cnf Snippet

[mysqld]
# Locale and identifiers
character-set-server         = utf8mb4
collation-server             = utf8mb4_uca1400_ai_ci
sql_mode                     = STRICT_TRANS_TABLES,STRICT_ALL_TABLES,NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION,NO_ZERO_DATE,NO_ZERO_IN_DATE,ERROR_FOR_DIVISION_BY_ZERO
default_storage_engine       = InnoDB
innodb_default_row_format    = dynamic

# Durability
sync_binlog                  = 1
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 1
innodb_doublewrite           = 1

# Binlog
log_bin                      = /var/log/mysql/mariadb-bin
binlog_format                = MIXED
expire_logs_days             = 14

# Auth
plugin_load_add              = auth_ed25519

[client]
default-character-set        = utf8mb4

When Defaults DO Change Within an LTS Line

LTS minor releases occasionally tighten defaults :

• innodb_buffer_pool_chunk_size deprecated 10.11.12+.
• slave_parallel_mode=optimistic default since 10.5.1+.
• Semi-sync replication built-in (no plug-in install) since 10.3+.

ALWAYS read the release notes for the exact minor version you upgrade to. The LTS guarantee is API/feature stability, not zero-default-change.

Verification After Any Config Change

SELECT @@version, @@sql_mode, @@character_set_server, @@collation_server,
       @@binlog_format, @@sync_binlog, @@innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit,
       @@default_storage_engine, @@lower_case_table_names;

Compare the result to your my.cnf snippet line-by-line. Drift between the file and the live value means another option file (later in the lookup order) or a SET GLOBAL from a previous session overrode it.

Reference Files

• references/methods.md : full sql_mode flag table with version + impact ; charset / collation default matrix per LTS ; option-file section grammar ; system-variable scope semantics.
• references/examples.md : 10+ working snippets covering pinning sql_mode, charset migration, procedure lock-in, sync_binlog crash-recovery, my.cnf inheritance.
• references/anti-patterns.md : 8 production failure modes with WHY-it-fails and the corrected pattern.

Sources

• MariaDB KB sql-mode : https://mariadb.com/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/sql_mode
• Character set overview : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/character-set-and-collation-overview/
• Unicode / utf8 alias : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/unicode/
• Replication and binary log variables : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/replication-and-binary-log-system-variables/
• InnoDB system variables : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/innodb-system-variables/
• ed25519 authentication : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/authentication-plugin-ed25519/
• Identifier case sensitivity : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/identifier-case-sensitivity/
• Binary log formats : https://mariadb.com/kb/en/binary-log-formats/