Long a staple of open source computing, MySQL serves as the database back end to a massive array of applications, from network monitoring frameworks to blogging applications like WordPress to social networks like Facebook. To those uninitiated in how databases work, setting up MySQL for the first time can be daunting. Nevertheless, with a few pointers and concepts, you can quickly get a new MySQL instance up and running, and ready to deploy your application.
For the purposes of this guide, I will assume that the reader has little or no experience with MySQL on Linux. We’ll concentrate on getting MySQL installed and configured to the point where an application can be connected to the database and begin operation. Advanced elements of MySQL, such as database programming, MySQL performance tips, and the SQL language, are outside the scope of this discussion.
Guide to MySQL installation
First things first: we need to get MySQL installed on your system. The exact installation process will vary widely across operating systems, so we’ll cover the big three use cases: Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.