DDEV 1.24.2 with MySQL performance optimizations

DDEV 1.24.2 with MySQL performance optimizations
PHP DevOps #mysql #php #ddev #backup

Another week has already gone by, and I am only now getting around to writing something about ddev again. Version 1.24.2 has been released.

What are the important new features in DDEV 1.24.2?

The key performance optimizations in DDEV 1.24.2 are:

  1. Support for MySQL 8.4: DDEV will support the latest LTS version of MySQL, which offers numerous improvements and new features. This will form the foundation for further performance optimizations.

  2. Improved import speed for MySQL 8.0: Import performance for MySQL 8.0 is about 30% better than in the previous version, 1.24.1. This means large database imports are processed significantly faster, which particularly benefits developers working with extensive databases.

  3. Switch to Bitnami MySQL images: To simplify maintenance, DDEV now uses Bitnami MySQL images as its base. This provides better support, particularly for ARM64 architectures.

  4. Simplified maintenance for XtraBackup: DDEV has discontinued its own version of Percona XtraBackup, which was previously built manually. The reason is that Percona now provides official ARM64 versions. This considerably simplifies use of DDEV's snapshot feature.

  5. Database performance repository: A new repository allows developers to compare import speeds across different DDEV versions and database types.

  6. Tests for quickstarts: Some quickstarts (see the ddev documentation) are now being tested. Magento is not included yet. But a start has been made. https://github.com/ddev/ddev/tree/main/docs/tests

  7. ddev commands inside the container: If you like entering the container with ddev ssh and working there, you will appreciate this new feature. Individual ddev commands such as ddev xdebug can now be used directly inside the container. You leave out the ddev part, though, and run xdebug on or xdebug off directly. I could not quickly find an exact list of supported commands. However, the code indicates that the project-specific commands drush, pint, sake, typo3, and wp should work. I also successfully tested xhprof and yarn.

Why is all of this exciting for developers?

Developers constantly need to take snapshots of databases in ddev and then restore them. If the database is very large, that can get frustrating. People often pass the waiting time by stuffing themselves with unhealthy things. So you can see that ddev is good for your health too.
Just a little joke :-)

Support for different database versions and types helps developers get projects up and running quickly. Whether it is a legacy system that perhaps still uses a very old database, or you simply want to try a new database. Ddev is enormously helpful here thanks to the wide range of databases it supports. I have increasingly become a fan of Postgres myself. But even I might need MySQL 8.4 sometime. Then ddev is there for me.

Release note

If you want to see the complete list of changes, you can simply read the release note on GitHub:
https://github.com/ddev/ddev/releases/tag/v1.24.2