dbdeployer features
This table compares features from MySQL-Sandbox and dbdeployer.
| Feature | MySQL-Sandbox | dbdeployer | dbdeployer planned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single sandbox deployment | yes | yes | |
| unpack command | sort of [^1] | yes | |
| multiple sandboxes | yes | yes | |
| master-slave replication | yes | yes | |
| "force" flag | yes | yes | |
| pre-post grants SQL action | yes | yes | |
| initialization options | yes | yes | |
| my.cnf options | yes | yes | |
| custom my.cnf | yes | yes | |
| friendly UUID generation | yes | yes | |
| global commands | yes | yes | |
| test replication flow | yes | yes | |
| delete command | yes [^2] | yes | |
| show data dictionary tables | yes | yes | |
| lock/unlock sandboxes | yes | yes | |
| finding free ports | yes | yes | |
| semi-sync replication | yes | yes | |
| group replication SP | no | yes | |
| group replication MP | no | yes | |
| prevent port collision | no | yes [^3] | |
| visible initialization | no | yes [^4] | |
| visible script templates | no | yes [^5] | |
| replaceable templates | no | yes [^6] | |
| configurable defaults | no | yes [^7] | |
| list of source binaries | no | yes [^8] | |
| list of installed sandboxes | no | yes [^9] | |
| test script per sandbox | no | yes [^10] | |
| integrated usage help | no | yes [^11] | |
| custom abbreviations | no | yes [^12] | |
| version flag | no | yes [^13] | |
| sandboxes global catalog | no | yes | |
| concurrent deployment | no | yes | |
| command line completion | no | yes | |
| MySQL upgrade | no | yes | |
| MySQLX support | no | yes | |
| fan-in | no | yes [^14] | |
| all-masters | no | yes [^15] | |
| Percona Xtradb cluster | no | yes | |
| MySQL Cluster | no | yes | |
| Inter-sandbox replication | limited [^16] | yes | |
| pre-post grants shell action | yes | no | maybe |
| getting remote tarballs | yes | yes | |
| load plugins | yes | yes [^17] | |
| circular replication | yes | sort of [^18] | |
| master-master (circular) | yes | no | no |
| Windows support | no | no [^19] |
[^1]: It's achieved using --export_binaries and then abandoning the operation.
[^2]: Uses the sbtool command
[^3]: dbdeployer sandboxes store their ports in a description JSON file, which allows the tool to get a list of used ports and act before a conflict happens.
[^4]: The initialization happens with a script that is generated and stored in the sandbox itself. Users can inspect the init_db script and see what was executed.
[^5]: All sandbox scripts are generated using templates, which can be examined and eventually changed and re-imported.
[^6]: See also note 5. Using the flag --use-template you can replace an existing template on-the-fly. Group of templates can be exported and imported after editing.
[^7]: Defaults can be exported to file, and eventually re-imported after editing.
[^8]: This is little more than using an O.S. file listing, with the added awareness of the source directory.
[^9]: Using the description files, this command lists the sandboxes with their topology and used ports.
[^10]: It's a basic test that checks whether the sandbox is running and is using the expected port.
[^11]: The "usage" command will show basic commands for single and multiple sandboxes.
[^12]: the abbreviations file allows user to define custom shortcuts for frequently used commands.
[^13]: Strangely enough, this simple feature was never implemented for MySQL-Sandbox, while it was one of the first additions to dbdeployer.
[^14]: Uses the multi source technology introduced in MySQL 5.7.
[^15]: Same as n. 14.
[^16]: Single sandboxes could replicate from another using option --slaveof
[^17]: Using pre-grants and post-grants options, all plugins can be loaded.
[^18]: Circular replication should not be used anymore. There are enough good alternatives (multi-source, group replication) to avoid this old technology.
However, using the script replicate_from, it is possible to run circular replication. There is an example in the cookbook.
[^19]: I don't do Windows. But you can fork the project if you do.