MySQL/MariaDB's row format is now configurable in settings.php.
$databases['default']['default'] = [
'database' => 'databasename',
'username' => 'sqlusername',
'password' => 'sqlpassword',
'host' => 'localhost',
'port' => '3306',
'driver' => 'mysql',
'prefix' => '',
'collation' => 'utf8mb4_general_ci',
'row_format' => 'dynamic',
];
The row format of a table determines how its rows are physically stored, which in turn can affect the performance of queries and DML operations. As more rows fit into a single disk page, queries, and index lookups can work faster, less cache memory is required in the buffer pool, and less I/O is required to write out updated values.
InnoDB storage engine supports the following row formats both in MySQL and MariaDB: “redundant”, “compact”, “dynamic”, and “compressed”.
If you don't specify a row format, Drupal will use your database's default row format (usually “dynamic”, but MySQL before v5.7 and MariaDB before v10.2.2 used "compact").
You only need to choose and specify a row format if you need to control how your database stores your data. In most cases, you should not have to specify one.
Choosing a different row format does not alter the functionality of Drupal.
