diff --git a/.gitpod.Dockerfile b/.gitpod.Dockerfile
index 00a6156c..7acd84de 100644
--- a/.gitpod.Dockerfile
+++ b/.gitpod.Dockerfile
@@ -1,10 +1,25 @@
-FROM gitpod/workspace-mysql
+FROM gitpod/workspace-full:latest
 
-# Install custom tools, runtimes, etc.
-# For example "bastet", a command-line tetris clone:
-# RUN brew install bastet
-#
-# More information: https://www.gitpod.io/docs/config-docker/
+USER root
+
+# Install mariadb
+RUN apt-get update \
+ && apt-get install -y mariadb \
+ && apt-get clean && rm -rf /var/cache/apt/* /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/* \
+ && mkdir /var/run/mariadb \
+ && chown -R gitpod:gitpod /etc/mariadb /var/run/mariadb /var/log/mariadb /var/lib/mariadb /var/lib/mariadb-files /var/lib/mariadb-keyring /var/lib/mariadb-upgrade
+
+# Install our own mariadb config
+COPY mariadb.cnf /etc/mariadb/mariadb.conf.d/mariadb.cnf
+
+# Install default-login for mariadb clients
+COPY client.cnf /etc/mariadb/mariadb.conf.d/client.cnf
+
+COPY mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh /etc/mariadb/mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh
+
+USER gitpod
+
+RUN echo "/etc/mariadb/mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh" >> ~/.bashrc
 
 RUN bash -c ". .nvm/nvm.sh \
     && nvm install 14 \
diff --git a/mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh b/mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b8ab933a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mariadb-bashrc-launch.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# this script is intended to be called from .bashrc
+# This is a workaround for not having something like supervisord
+
+if [ ! -e /var/run/mariadb/gitpod-init.lock ]
+then
+    touch /var/run/mariadb/gitpod-init.lock
+
+    # initialize database structures on disk, if needed
+    [ ! -d /workspace/mariadb ] && mariadb --initialize-insecure
+
+    # launch database, if not running
+    [ ! -e /var/run/mariadb/mariadb.pid ] && mariadb --daemonize
+
+    rm /var/run/mariadb/gitpod-init.lock
+fi
diff --git a/mariadb.conf b/mariadb.conf
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..46207438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mariadb.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[client]
+host     = localhost
+user     = root
+password =
+socket   = /var/run/mariadb/mariadb.sock
+[mariadb_upgrade]
+host     = localhost
+user     = root
+password =
+socket   = /var/run/mariadb/mariadb.sock