MariaDB default utf8 The installation puts character-set-server=utf8 in my.ini by default. Is it better to use utf8mb4 instead of clean utf8 and if Yes, why utf8mb4 is not set by default?
depending on Version utf8 is a synonym for utf8mb3 or utf8mb4.
so you are always compatible with the version and you can restore a backup without problems, if the version has no utf8mb4 support