Story: six databases
This page is for technology journalists who write about databases and about content management systems that run on more than one. Exponential documents six, in an official order of preference. This page gives that order, what the sources say about each, and how they are tested.
Contents
- The story in one paragraph
- The six, in order
- What is new, and when
- Facts you can print
- What not to claim
- Angles and headline ideas
- Who to ask
- Related pages
The story in one paragraph
"Supported databases (Exponential 6.0.x), in order of preference: 1. SQLite 3 (the default) · 2. PostgreSQL · 3. MongoDB · 4. MariaDB · 5. Oracle · 6. MySQL. Microsoft SQL Server is known to be possible with additional work at this time" (README, Requirements). The order is a statement in itself: a server-free file database first, a document database third, and MySQL, long the usual choice for PHP applications, last. One command installs a site on five of them (Install in one command).
The six, in order
| # | Database | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SQLite 3 | The default; one file, no server | Database support |
| 2 | PostgreSQL | The recommended database server | Talking points: hosting |
| 3 | MongoDB | Supported since 6.0.14, with documented limits | MongoDB as the database |
| 4 | MariaDB | Supported; shares one driver with MySQL | Database support, At a glance |
| 5 | Oracle | Supported through the ezoracle extension | same |
| 6 | MySQL | Supported; shares one driver with MariaDB | same |
What is new, and when
| What | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SQLite arrives as a database that needs no server | January 2024 | January 2024 |
| MongoDB 8 as a database, in 6.0.14 | June 2026 (6.0.14 on 7 June) | June 2026 |
| Driver and installer fixes for all engines; SQLite is the setup wizard's default | 16 to 30 September 2026 | 6.0.15 changelog |
| Oracle 11g and 12.1 (ezoracle 2.3.7) | 14 October 2026 | 6.0.15 changelog |
The September and October changes belong to the 6.0.15 line, the current release line of Exponential 6.0; their dates are dates of the changes, not a release date.
Facts you can print
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| The official order is SQLite 3, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Oracle, MySQL. | README |
| The project's CI runs database tests on PostgreSQL 15 and MySQL 8.0; SQLite and MongoDB have driver or adapter unit tests; MariaDB and Oracle are not in CI. | Database support, At a glance |
| SQLite cannot be shared by several web servers; the five servers can. | same |
| Documented tools move a site from one database to another. | Moving a site |
| Microsoft SQL Server is "possible with additional work", not one of the six. | Database support |
What not to claim
- "Every feature works on every database." MongoDB has a documented list of limits, and
eztagsis not usable on it (MongoDB, What works and what does not). - "Tested on all six in CI." Only PostgreSQL and MySQL run full database tests in CI.
- "Supports SQL Server." It does not, today.
- Any performance ranking of the databases: the sources publish none.
Angles and headline ideas
"MySQL last: Exponential's surprising database order"
"Six databases, one content model"
"From one file to Oracle: choosing a database for an open source CMS"Who to ask
| Question | Ask | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Why this order, plans for more | 7x | [email protected], or https://exponential.earth/about/contact-us |
| Real-world database choices | the community | https://share.exponential.earth/forums |
Related pages
- Database support
- Story: SQLite by default
- Story: MongoDB as a database
- Feature stories: index
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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