How to Install MySQL or MariaDB on Linux

How to Install MySQL or MariaDB on Linux
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In this article, I’ll show you how to install MySQL on a Linux server.

My server is running Debian 9 Stretch. However, you can use this same process on almost any Linux server.

Fetch New Versions of Packages

You will install MySQL using APT.

APT is a tool that handles the installation and removal of software packages on Linux.

First, run these two commands to fetch new versions of packages:

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get update
apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
apt-get upgrade

Install MySQL

To install MySQL, run the following command:

sudo apt-get install mysql-server
sudo apt-get install mysql-server
apt-get install mysql-server

You will be asked to set a password for the MySQL root user. Set a strong password, and don’t forget to keep it in a safe place. You will need it later to create and manage databases and database users.

MySQL or MariaDB?

Currently, there is a trend of replacing MySQL server with MariaDB.

Don’t be surprised if, after running the above-mentioned commands, you end up with MariaDB being installed instead of MySQL.

In many, if not most, Linux distributions today, MySQL installation packages are replaced by MariaDB.

MariaDB is a fork of MySQL created by the original developers of MySQL after MySQL was bought by a big corporation (Sun, then Oracle). In terms of performance and functionality, they are both equal.

MariaDB, MySQL
MariaDB, MySQL

Check If MySQL/MariaDB Is Installed and Running

When you are done, you can check if MySQL/MariaDB is installed and running properly.

Do so by running one of the following commands:

sudo mysql
sudo mysql
sudo mysql
sudo mysql --version
sudo mysql --version
sudo mysql –version
sudo service mysql status
sudo service mysql status
sudo service mysql status
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql status
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql status
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql status

Based on the response, you can tell if MySQL/MariaDB is installed and running or not.

Conclusion

Installing MySQL (or MariaDB) on Linux is a simple process that involves the following steps.

  • Fetch new versions of installation packages.
  • Install MySQL/MariaDB using apt-get install.
  • Set a root password.
  • Check if MySQL/MariaDB is installed and running properly.
I write a weekly newsletter, sharing my articles and thoughts on building and running websites. There’s no spam and it’s totally free. Join 1500+ subscribers!

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