[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. In this tutorial we’ll install MySQL from a repository, secure the install, and run a quick test. Choose your operating system below to get started.

Ubuntu

16.04

### Introduction

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the **M** in the _LAMP_ stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language.

In order to use newly released features, it's sometimes necessary to install a more up-to-date version of MySQL than that provided by your Linux distribution. Conveniently, the MySQL developers maintain their own software repository we can use to easily install the latest version and keep it up to date.

To install the latest version of MySQL, we'll add this repository, install the MySQL software itself, secure the install, and finally we'll test that MySQL is running and responding to commands.


## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you will need:

- An Ubuntu 16.04 server with a non-root, sudo-enabled user, as described in [this Ubuntu 16.04 server setup tutorial](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-ubuntu-16-04).


## Step 1 — Adding the MySQL Software Repository

The MySQL developers provide a `.deb` package that handles configuring and installing the official MySQL software repositories. Once the repositories are set up, we'll be able to use Ubuntu's standard `apt-get` command to install the software. We'll download this `.deb` file with `curl` and then install it with the `dpkg` command.

First, load [the MySQL download page](https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/) in your web browser. Find the **Download** button in the lower-right corner and click through to the next page. This page will prompt you to log in or sign up for an Oracle web account. We can skip that and instead look for the link that says **No thanks, just start my download**. Right-click the link and select **Copy Link Address** (this option may be worded differently, depending on your browser).

Now we're going to download the file. On your server, move to a directory you can write to:

```command
cd /tmp
```

Download the file using `curl`, remembering to paste the address you just copied in place of the highlighted portion below:

```command
curl -OL <^>https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql-apt-config_0.8.3-1_all.deb<^>
```

We need to pass two command line flags to `curl`. `-O` instructs `curl` to output to a file instead of standard output. The `L` flag makes `curl` follow HTTP redirects, necessary in this case because the address we copied actually redirects us to another location before the file downloads.

The file should now be downloaded in our current directory. List the files to make sure:

```command
ls
```

You should see the filename listed:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysql-apt-config_<^>0.8.3-1<^>_all.deb
. . .
```

Now we're ready to install:

```command
sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config*
```

`dpkg` is used to install, remove, and inspect `.deb` software packages. The `-i` flag indicates that we'd like to install from the specified file.

During the installation, you'll be presented with a configuration screen where you can specify which version of MySQL you'd prefer, along with an option to install repositories for other MySQL-related tools. The defaults will add the repository information for the latest stable version of MySQL and nothing else. This is what we want, so use the down arrow to navigate to the `Ok` menu option and hit `ENTER`.

The package will now finish adding the repository. Refresh your `apt` package cache to make the new software packages available:

```command
sudo apt-get update
```

Let's also clean up after ourselves and delete the file we downloaded:

```command
rm mysql-apt-config*
```

Now that we've added the MySQL repositories, we're ready to install the actual MySQL server software. If you ever need to update the configuration of these repositories, just run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config`, select new options, and then `sudo apt-get update` to refresh your package cache.


## Step 2 — Installing MySQL

Having added the repository and with our package cache freshly updated, we can now use `apt-get` to install the latest MySQL server package:

```command
sudo apt-get install mysql-server
```

`apt-get` will look at all available `mysql-server` packages and determine that the MySQL provided package is the newest and best candidate. It will then calculate package dependencies and ask you to approve the installation. Type `y` then `ENTER`. The software will install. You will be asked to set a **root** password during the configuration phase of the installation. Be sure to choose a secure password, enter it twice, and the process will complete.

MySQL should be installed and running now. Let's check using `systemctl`:

```command
systemctl status mysql
```

```
[secondary_label Output]
● mysql.service - MySQL Community Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mysql.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Wed 2017-04-05 19:28:37 UTC; 3min 42s ago
 Main PID: 8760 (mysqld)
   CGroup: /system.slice/mysql.service
           └─8760 /usr/sbin/mysqld --daemonize --pid-file=/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
```

The `Active: active (running)` line means MySQL is installed and running. Now we'll make the installation a little more secure.


## Step 3 — Securing MySQL

MySQL comes with a command we can use to perform a few security-related updates on our new install. Let's run it now:

```command
mysql_secure_installation
```

This will ask you for the MySQL **root** password that you set during installation. Type it in and press `ENTER`. Now we'll answer a series of yes or no prompts. Let's go through them:

First, we are asked about the **validate password plugin**, a plugin that can automatically enforce certain password strength rules for your MySQL users. Enabling this is a decision you'll need to make based on your individual security needs. Type `y` and `ENTER` to enable it, or just hit `ENTER` to skip it. If enabled, you will also be prompted to choose a level from 0–2 for how strict the password validation will be. Choose a number and hit `ENTER` to continue.

Next you'll be asked if you want to change the **root** password. Since we just created the password when we installed MySQL, we can safely skip this. Hit `ENTER` to continue without updating the password.

The rest of the prompts can be answered **yes**. You will be asked about removing the **anonymous** MySQL user, disallowing remote **root** login, removing the **test** database, and reloading privilege tables to ensure the previous changes take effect properly. These are all a good idea. Type `y` and hit `ENTER` for each.

The script will exit after all the prompts are answered. Now our MySQL installation is reasonably secured. Let's test it again by running a client that connects to the server and returns some information.


## Step 4 – Testing MySQL

`mysqladmin` is a command line administrative client for MySQL. We'll use it to connect to the server and output some version and status information:

```command
mysqladmin -u root -p version
```

The `-u root` portion tells `mysqladmin` to log in as the MySQL **root** user, `-p` instructs the client to ask for a password, and `version` is the actual command we want to run.

The output will let us know what version of the MySQL server is running, its uptime, and some other status information:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysqladmin  Ver 8.42 Distrib 5.7.17, for Linux on x86_64
Copyright (c) 2000, 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Server version		5.7.17
Protocol version	10
Connection		Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket		/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:			58 min 28 sec

Threads: 1  Questions: 10  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 113  Flush tables: 1  Open tables: 106  Queries per second avg: 0.002
```

If you received similar output, congrats! You've successfully installed the latest MySQL server and secured it.


## Conclusion

You've now completed a basic install of the latest version of MySQL, which should work for many popular applications. If you have more advanced needs you might continue with some other configuration tasks:

- If you’d like a graphical interface for administering your MySQL server, phpMyAdmin is a popular web-based solution. Our tutorial [How To Install and Secure phpMyAdmin](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-secure-phpmyadmin-on-ubuntu-16-04) can get you started.
- Currently, your database is only accessible to applications running on the same server. Sometimes you’ll want separate database and application servers, for performance and storage reasons. Take a look at [How To Configure SSL/TLS for MySQL](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-configure-ssl-tls-for-mysql-on-ubuntu-16-04) to learn how to set up MySQL for secure access from other servers.
- Another common configuration is to change the directory where MySQL stores its data. You’ll need to do this if you want your data stored on a different storage device than the default directory. This is covered in [How To Move a MySQL Data Directory to a New Location](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-move-a-mysql-data-directory-to-a-new-location-on-ubuntu-16-04).

MySQL is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the M in the LAMP stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language.

How To Install the Latest MySQL on Ubuntu 16.04

Install the Latest MySQL

18.04

### Introduction

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the **M** in the _LAMP_ stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language.

In order to use newly released features, it's sometimes necessary to install a more up-to-date version of MySQL than that provided by your Linux distribution. Conveniently, the MySQL developers maintain their own software repository we can use to easily install the latest version and keep it up to date.

To install the latest version of MySQL, we'll add this repository, install the MySQL software itself, secure the install, and finally we'll test that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you will need:

- An Ubuntu 18.04 server with a non-root, sudo-enabled user, as described in [this Ubuntu 18.04 server setup tutorial](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-ubuntu-18-04).

## Step 1 — Adding the MySQL Software Repository

The MySQL developers provide a `.deb` package that handles configuring and installing the official MySQL software repositories. Once the repositories are set up, we'll be able to use Ubuntu's standard `apt` command to install the software. We'll download this `.deb` file with `curl` and then install it with the `dpkg` command.

First, load [the MySQL download page](https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/) in your web browser. Find the **Download** button in the lower-right corner and click through to the next page. This page will prompt you to log in or sign up for an Oracle web account. We can skip that and instead look for the link that says **No thanks, just start my download**. Right-click the link and select **Copy Link Address** (this option may be worded differently, depending on your browser).

Now we're going to download the file. On your server, move to a directory you can write to:

```command
cd /tmp
```

Download the file using `curl`, remembering to paste the address you just copied in place of the highlighted portion below:

```command
curl -OL <^>https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql-apt-config_0.8.10-1_all.deb<^>
```

We need to pass two command line flags to `curl`. `-O` instructs `curl` to output to a file instead of standard output. The `L` flag makes `curl` follow HTTP redirects, necessary in this case because the address we copied actually redirects us to another location before the file downloads.

The file should now be downloaded in our current directory. List the files to make sure:

```command
ls
```

You should see the filename listed:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysql-apt-config_<^>0.8.10-1<^>_all.deb
. . .
```

Now we're ready to install:

```command
sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config*
```

`dpkg` is used to install, remove, and inspect `.deb` software packages. The `-i` flag indicates that we'd like to install from the specified file.

During the installation, you'll be presented with a configuration screen where you can specify which version of MySQL you'd prefer, along with an option to install repositories for other MySQL-related tools. The defaults will add the repository information for the latest stable version of MySQL and nothing else. This is what we want, so use the down arrow to navigate to the `Ok` menu option and hit `ENTER`.

The package will now finish adding the repository. Refresh your `apt` package cache to make the new software packages available:

```command
sudo apt update
```

Let's also clean up after ourselves and delete the file we downloaded:

```command
rm mysql-apt-config*
```

Now that we've added the MySQL repositories, we're ready to install the actual MySQL server software. If you ever need to update the configuration of these repositories, just run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config`, select new options, and then `sudo apt update` to refresh your package cache.

## Step 2 — Installing MySQL

Having added the repository and with our package cache freshly updated, we can now use `apt` to install the latest MySQL server package:

```command
sudo apt install mysql-server
```

`apt` will look at all available `mysql-server` packages and determine that the MySQL provided package is the newest and best candidate. It will then calculate package dependencies and ask you to approve the installation. Type `y` then `ENTER`. The software will install.

You will be asked to set a **root** password during the configuration phase of the installation. Be sure to choose a secure password. After you enter it twice and hit `ENTER`, you will be prompted to configure an authentication plugin. The default of **Use Strong Password Encryption** is recommended, so hit `ENTER` to choose it. The installation process will continue until completion.

MySQL should now be installed and running. Let's check using `systemctl`:

```command
systemctl status mysql
```

```
[secondary_label Output]
● mysql.service - MySQL Community Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mysql.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Thu 2018-07-12 17:46:42 UTC; 17s ago
     Docs: man:mysqld(8)
           http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/en/using-systemd.html
 Main PID: 7918 (mysqld)
   Status: "SERVER_OPERATING"
    Tasks: 37 (limit: 1152)
   CGroup: /system.slice/mysql.service
           └─7918 /usr/sbin/mysqld
```

The `Active: active (running)` line means MySQL is installed and running. Now we'll make the installation a little more secure.

## Step 3 — Securing MySQL

MySQL comes with a command we can use to perform a few security-related updates on our new install. Let's run it now:

```command
mysql_secure_installation
```

This will ask you for the MySQL **root** password that you set during installation. Type it in and press `ENTER`. Now we'll answer a series of yes or no prompts. Let's go through them:

First, we are asked about the **validate password plugin**, a plugin that can automatically enforce certain password strength rules for your MySQL users. Enabling this is a decision you'll need to make based on your individual security needs. Type `y` and `ENTER` to enable it, or just hit `ENTER` to skip it. If enabled, you will also be prompted to choose a level from 0–2 for how strict the password validation will be. Choose a number and hit `ENTER` to continue.

Next you'll be asked if you want to change the **root** password. Since we just created the password when we installed MySQL, we can safely skip this. Hit `ENTER` to continue without updating the password.

The rest of the prompts can be answered **yes**. You will be asked about removing the **anonymous** MySQL user, disallowing remote **root** login, removing the **test** database, and reloading privilege tables to ensure the previous changes take effect properly. These are all a good idea. Type `y` and hit `ENTER` for each.

The script will exit after all the prompts are answered. Now our MySQL installation is reasonably secured. Let's test it again by running a client that connects to the server and returns some information.

## Step 4 – Testing MySQL

`mysqladmin` is a command line administrative client for MySQL. We'll use it to connect to the server and output some version and status information:

```command
mysqladmin -u root -p version
```

The `-u root` portion tells `mysqladmin` to log in as the MySQL **root** user, `-p` instructs the client to ask for a password, and `version` is the actual command we want to run.

The output will let us know what version of the MySQL server is running, its uptime, and some other status information:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysqladmin  Ver 8.0.11 for Linux on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Server version		8.0.11
Protocol version	10
Connection		Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket		/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:			2 min 21 sec

Threads: 2  Questions: 10  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 136  Flush tables: 2  Open tables: 112  Queries per second avg: 0.070
```

If you received similar output, congrats! You've successfully installed the latest MySQL server and secured it.

## Conclusion

You've now completed a basic install of the latest version of MySQL, which should work for many popular applications. If you have more advanced needs you might continue with some other configuration tasks:

- If you’d like a graphical interface for administering your MySQL server, phpMyAdmin is a popular web-based solution. Our tutorial [How To Install and Secure phpMyAdmin](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-secure-phpmyadmin-on-ubuntu-18-04) can get you started.
- Currently, your database is only accessible to applications running on the same server. Sometimes you’ll want separate database and application servers, for performance and storage reasons. Take a look at [How To Configure SSL/TLS for MySQL](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-configure-ssl-tls-for-mysql-on-ubuntu-16-04) to learn how to set up MySQL for secure access from other servers.
- Another common configuration is to change the directory where MySQL stores its data. You’ll need to do this if you want your data stored on a different storage device than the default directory. This is covered in [How To Move a MySQL Data Directory to a New Location](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-move-a-mysql-data-directory-to-a-new-location-on-ubuntu-18-04).


In this tutorial we will install the MySQL official apt software repository, then install the MySQL software itself, secure the installation, and finally we'll test that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

How To Install the Latest MySQL on Ubuntu 18.04

Debian

### Introduction

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the **M** in the _LAMP_ stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language.

In Debian 9, MariaDB, a community fork of the MySQL project, is packaged as the default MySQL variant.  While, MariaDB works well in most cases, if you need features found only in Oracle's MySQL, you can install and use packages from a repository maintained by the MySQL developers.

To install the latest version of MySQL, we'll add this repository, install the MySQL software itself, secure the install, and finally we'll test that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you will need:

* One Debian 9 server set up by following [this initial server setup guide](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-debian-9), including a non-**root** user with `sudo` privileges and a firewall.

## Step 1 — Adding the MySQL Software Repository

The MySQL developers provide a `.deb` package that handles configuring and installing the official MySQL software repositories.  Once the repositories are set up, we'll be able to use Ubuntu's standard `apt` command to install the software. We'll download this `.deb` file with `wget` and then install it with the `dpkg` command.

First, load [the MySQL download page](https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/) in your web browser.  Find the **Download** button in the lower-right corner and click through to the next page.  This page will prompt you to log in or sign up for an Oracle web account.  We can skip that and instead look for the link that says **No thanks, just start my download**.  Right-click the link and select **Copy Link Address** (this option may be worded differently, depending on your browser).

Now we're going to download the file.  On your server, move to a directory you can write to.  Download the file using `wget`, remembering to paste the address you just copied in place of the highlighted portion below:

```command
cd /tmp
wget <^>https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql-apt-config_0.8.10-1_all.deb<^>
```

The file should now be downloaded in our current directory.  List the files to make sure:

```command
ls
```

You should see the filename listed:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysql-apt-config_<^>0.8.10-1<^>_all.deb
. . .
```

Now we're ready to install:

```command
sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config*
```

`dpkg` is used to install, remove, and inspect `.deb` software packages.  The `-i` flag indicates that we'd like to install from the specified file.

During the installation, you'll be presented with a configuration screen where you can specify which version of MySQL you'd prefer, along with an option to install repositories for other MySQL-related tools.  The defaults will add the repository information for the latest stable version of MySQL and nothing else.  This is what we want, so use the down arrow to navigate to the `Ok` menu option and hit `ENTER`.

The package will now finish adding the repository.  Refresh your `apt` package cache to make the new software packages available:

```command
sudo apt update
```

Now that we've added the MySQL repositories, we're ready to install the actual MySQL server software.  If you ever need to update the configuration of these repositories, just run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config`, select new options, and then `sudo apt-get update` to refresh your package cache.

## Step 2 — Installing MySQL

Having added the repository and with our package cache freshly updated, we can now use `apt` to install the latest MySQL server package:

```command
sudo apt install mysql-server
```

`apt` will look at all available `mysql-server` packages and determine that the MySQL provided package is the newest and best candidate.  It will then calculate package dependencies and ask you to approve the installation.  Type `y` then `ENTER`.  The software will install.

You will be asked to set a **root** password during the configuration phase of the installation.  Choose and confirm a secure password to continue.  Next, a prompt will appear asking for you to select a default authentication plugin.  Read the display to understand the choices.  If you are not sure, choosing **Use Strong Password Encryption** is safer.

MySQL should be installed and running now.  Let's check using `systemctl`:

```command
sudo systemctl status mysql
```
```
[secondary_label Output]
● mysql.service - MySQL Community Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mysql.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   <^>Active: active (running)<^> since Wed 2018-09-05 15:58:21 UTC; 30s ago
     Docs: man:mysqld(8)
           http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/en/using-systemd.html
 Main PID: 12805 (mysqld)
   Status: "SERVER_OPERATING"
   CGroup: /system.slice/mysql.service
           └─12805 /usr/sbin/mysqld

Sep 05 15:58:15 mysql1 systemd[1]: Starting MySQL Community Server...
Sep 05 15:58:21 mysql1 systemd[1]: <^>Started MySQL Community Server.<^>
```

The `Active: active (running)` line means MySQL is installed and running.  Now we'll make the installation a little more secure.

## Step 3 — Securing MySQL

MySQL comes with a command we can use to perform a few security-related updates on our new install.  Let's run it now:

```command
mysql_secure_installation
```

This will ask you for the MySQL **root** password that you set during installation. Type it in and press `ENTER`.  Now we'll answer a series of yes or no prompts. Let's go through them:

First, we are asked about the **validate password plugin**, a plugin that can automatically enforce certain password strength rules for your MySQL users.  Enabling this is a decision you'll need to make based on your individual security needs.  Type `y` and `ENTER` to enable it, or just hit `ENTER` to skip it.  If enabled, you will also be prompted to choose a level from 0–2 for how strict the password validation will be.  Choose a number and hit `ENTER` to continue.

Next you'll be asked if you want to change the **root** password.  Since we just created the password when we installed MySQL, we can safely skip this.  Hit `ENTER` to continue without updating the password.

The rest of the prompts can be answered **yes**.  You will be asked about removing the **anonymous** MySQL user, disallowing remote **root** login, removing the **test** database, and reloading privilege tables to ensure the previous changes take effect properly.  These are all a good idea. Type `y` and hit `ENTER` for each.

The script will exit after all the prompts are answered.  Now our MySQL installation is reasonably secured.  Let's test it again by running a client that connects to the server and returns some information.

## Step 4 – Testing MySQL

`mysqladmin` is a command line administrative client for MySQL.  We'll use it to connect to the server and output some version and status information:

```command
mysqladmin -u root -p version
```

The `-u root` portion tells `mysqladmin` to log in as the MySQL **root** user, `-p` instructs the client to ask for a password, and `version` is the actual command we want to run.

The output will let us know what version of the MySQL server is running, its uptime, and some other status information:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysqladmin  Ver 8.0.12 for Linux on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Server version		8.0.12
Protocol version	10
Connection		Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket		/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:			6 min 42 sec

Threads: 2  Questions: 12  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 123  Flush tables: 2  Open tables: 99  Queries per second avg: 0.029
```

If you received similar output, congrats! You've successfully installed the latest MySQL server and secured it.

## Conclusion

You've now completed a basic install of the latest version of MySQL, which should work for many popular applications.


MySQL is a prominent open source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the M in the LAMP stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the...

How To Install the Latest MySQL on Debian 9

### Introduction

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open-source database management system used to store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the **M** in the *LAMP* stack, a commonly used set of open source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language.

In Debian 10, MariaDB, a community fork of the MySQL project, is packaged as the default MySQL variant. While MariaDB works well in most cases, if you need features found only in Oracle's MySQL, you can install and use packages from a repository maintained by the MySQL developers.

In this tutorial, you will install the latest version of MySQL by adding this repository, install the MySQL software itself, secure the install, and test that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you will need one Debian 10 server that has a non-**root** user with `sudo` privileges and a firewall configured. You can do this by following [our initial server setup guide for Debian 10](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-debian-10).

## Step 1 — Adding the MySQL Software Repository

The MySQL developers provide a `.deb` package that handles configuring and installing the official MySQL software repositories. Once the repositories are set up, you'll be able to use Debian's standard `apt` command to install the software. 

Before doing this, you need to install the prerequisite [GnuPG](https://gnupg.org/) package, an open-source implementation of the [OpenPGP standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy#OpenPGP).

Begin by updating the local package index to reflect the latest upstream changes:

```command
sudo apt update
```

Then, install the `gnupg` package:

```command
sudo apt install gnupg
```

After confirming the installation, APT will install `gnupg` and its dependencies.

Next, you'll download the MySQL `.deb` package with `wget` and then install it using the `dpkg` command.

Load [the MySQL download page](https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/) in your web browser. Find the **Download** button in the lower-right corner and click through to the next page. This page will prompt you to log in or sign up for an Oracle web account. You can skip that and find the link that says **No thanks, just start my download**.  Right-click the link and select **Copy Link Address** (this option may be worded differently, depending on your browser).

Now you're going to download the file. On your server, move to a directory you can write to, such as the temporary `/tmp` directory used in this example:

```command
cd /tmp
```
Next, download the file using `wget`, remembering to paste the address you copied in place of the highlighted portion in the following command:

```command
wget <^>https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql-apt-config_0.8.22-1_all.deb<^>
```

The file should now be downloaded in your current directory. List the files to confirm:

```command
ls
```

The output will return a list of various files, including the one you just downloaded, which is highlighted in the following example:  

```
[secondary_label Output]
. . .
mysql-apt-config_<^>0.8.22-1<^>_all.deb
. . .
```

Now you're ready for installation. Run the `dpkg` command which is used to install, remove, and inspect `.deb` software packages. The `-i` flag indicates that you'd like to install from the specified file:

```command
sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config*
```

During the installation, you'll be presented with a configuration screen where you can specify which version of MySQL you'd prefer, along with an option to install repositories for other MySQL-related tools. The defaults will add the repository information for the latest stable version of MySQL and nothing else. This is what we will choose for our purposes, so use the down arrow to navigate to the `Ok` menu option and hit `ENTER`.

The package will now finish adding the repository. Refresh your `apt` package cache to make the new software packages available:

```command
sudo apt update
```

Now that you've added the MySQL repositories, you're ready to install the actual MySQL server software. If you ever need to update the configuration of these repositories, run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config`, select new options, and then `sudo apt-get update` to refresh your package cache.

## Step 2 — Installing MySQL

Having added the repository and with your package cache freshly updated, now you can use `apt` to install the latest MySQL server package:

```command
sudo apt install mysql-server
```

`apt` will scan all available `mysql-server` packages and determine that the MySQL provided package is the newest and best candidate. It will then calculate package dependencies and ask you to approve the installation. Write `y` then `ENTER`. The software will install.

You will be asked to set a **root** password during the configuration phase of the installation.  Choose and confirm a secure password to continue. Next, a prompt will appear asking you to select a default authentication plugin. Read the display to understand the choices. If you are not sure, choosing **Use Strong Password Encryption** is safer.

MySQL should be installed and running now. Check by using `systemctl`:

```command
sudo systemctl status mysql
```
```
[secondary_label Output]
● mysql.service - MySQL Community Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mysql.service; enabled; vendor preset: en
   Active: <^>active (running)<^> since Thu 2022-02-24 18:59:22 UTC; 23min ago
     Docs: man:mysqld(8)
           http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/en/using-systemd.html
 Main PID: 3722 (mysqld)
   Status: "Server is operational"
    Tasks: 38 (limit: 4915)
   Memory: 371.7M
   CGroup: /system.slice/mysql.service
           └─3722 /usr/sbin/mysqld

Feb 24 18:59:21 sql-debian systemd[1]: Starting MySQL Community Server...
Feb 24 18:59:22 sql-debian systemd[1]: Started MySQL Community Server.
```

The `Active: active (running)` line means MySQL is installed and running. In the next step, you'll make the installation a little more secure.

## Step 3 — Securing MySQL

MySQL comes with a command to perform a few security-related updates on your new install.  You can run it now:

```command
mysql_secure_installation
```

This will ask you for the MySQL **root** password that you set during installation. Write it in and press `ENTER`. Now you'll answer a series of yes or no prompts. Let's review them:

First, you're asked about the **validate password plugin**, a plugin that can automatically enforce certain password strength rules for your MySQL users. Enabling this is a decision you'll need to make based on your individual security needs. Write `y` and press `ENTER` to enable it, or press `ENTER` to skip it. If enabled, you will also be prompted to choose a level from 0–2 for how strict the password validation will be. Choose a number and press `ENTER` to continue.

Next you'll be asked if you want to change the **root** password. Since you recently created the password when you installed MySQL, you can safely skip this. Press `ENTER` to continue without updating the password.

The rest of the prompts can be answered **yes**.  You will be asked about removing anonymous MySQL users, disallowing remote **root** logins, removing the `test` database, and reloading privilege tables to ensure the previous changes take effect properly. These are all good ideas. Write `y` and press `ENTER` for each.

The script will exit after all the prompts are answered. Now your MySQL installation is reasonably secured. Next you'll test it again by running a client that connects to the server and returns some information.

## Step 4 – Testing MySQL

`mysqladmin` is a command line administrative client for MySQL. You'll use it to connect to the server and output some version and status information. The `-u root` portion tells `mysqladmin` to log in as the MySQL **root** user, `-p` instructs the client to ask for a password, and `version` is the actual command you want to run:

```command
mysqladmin -u root -p version
```

The output will result in what version of the MySQL server is running, its uptime, and some other status information as in the following:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysqladmin  Ver 8.0.28 for Linux on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2022, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Server version          8.0.28
Protocol version        10
Connection              Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket             /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:                 25 min 31 sec

Threads: 2  Questions: 20  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 143  Flush tables: 3  Open tables: 62  Queries per second avg: 0.013
```

This output confirms that you've successfully installed and secured the latest MySQL server.

## Conclusion

You've now installed the latest stable version of MySQL, which should work for many popular applications.

For more information about the basics of MySQL, we encourage you to check out the following tutorials:

* [How To Create a New User and Grant Permissions in MySQL](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-create-a-new-user-and-grant-permissions-in-mysql)
*  [How To Create and Manage Databases in MySQL and MariaDB on a Cloud Server](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-create-and-manage-databases-in-mysql-and-mariadb-on-a-cloud-server)
*  [How To Migrate a MySQL Database Between Two Servers](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-migrate-a-mysql-database-between-two-servers)

How To Install the Latest MySQL on Debian 10

20.04

### Introduction

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/) is a prominent open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) used to create, store and retrieve data for a wide variety of popular applications. MySQL is the **M** in the _LAMP_ stack, a commonly used set of open-source software that also includes Linux, the Apache web server, and the PHP programming language. 

When MySQL releases new features, you may need to install a more up-to-date version than what your Linux distributor provides. For this reason, MySQL developers share their own software repository to install the latest version. 

In this tutorial, you will install the latest version of MySQL. Before doing so, you will need to add the MySQL software repository. Then, you will install the MySQL software itself, secure the install, and verify that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

## Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you will need:

- An Ubuntu 20.04 server with a non-root, sudo-enabled user and a firewall, as described in [this Ubuntu 20.04 server setup tutorial](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-ubuntu-20-04).

## Step 1 — Adding the MySQL Software Repository

The MySQL developers provide a `.deb` package that configures and installs the official MySQL software repositories. Once the repositories are set up, you will run Ubuntu's standard `apt` command to install the software. To do this, you will download the `.deb` file with `curl` and then install it with the `dpkg` command.

First, load [the MySQL download page](https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/) in your web browser. Find the **Download** button in the right corner and press it to get to the next page. This page will prompt you to log in or sign up for an Oracle web account. Ignore this and locate the link that says **No thanks, just start my download**. Right-click the link and select **Copy Link Address** (this option may be worded differently, depending on your browser).

Next, you will download the file. On your server, move to a directory you can write to:

```command
cd /tmp
```

Download the file using `curl` and replace the highlighted URL with the address you copied from the MySQL Download page:

```command
curl -OL <^>https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql-apt-config_0.8.18-1_all.deb<^>
```

This command uses two flags with `curl`. `-O` instructs `curl` to output to a file instead of standard output. The `L` flag makes `curl` follow HTTP redirects, because the address you copied actually redirects to another location before the file downloads.

The file is now downloaded in your current directory. List the files to make sure:

```command
ls
```

You will see the filename listed:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysql-apt-config_<^>0.8.18-1<^>_all.deb
. . .
```

Now you can use `dpkg` to begin the install:

```command
sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config*
```

`dpkg` is used to install, remove, and inspect `.deb` software packages. The `-i` flag requests to install from the specified file.

During installation, you'll be prompted with a configuration screen where you can choose which version of MySQL you prefer, and an option to install repositories for other MySQL-related tools. 

![Alt text for screen readers](https://assets.digitalocean.com/articles/how-to-install-latest-mysql/mysql_config_page.png)

Since you only want to install the latest version of MySQL, you can choose `Ok` from the menu options and press `ENTER`. The repository information you need is already included with the defaults.

The package will finish adding the repository. Then you can refresh your `apt` package cache to make the new software packages available:

```command
sudo apt update
```

Tidy everything up by deleting the file download with the `rm` command:

```command
rm mysql-apt-config*
```

Now that the MySQL repositories are added, you’re ready to install the actual MySQL server software. You can update the configuration of these repositories in the future by running `sudo dpkg-reconfigure mysql-apt-config`, selecting new options, and then `sudo apt update` to refresh your package cache.

## Step 2 — Installing MySQL

With your new repository added and package cache freshly updated, you will use `apt` to install the latest MySQL server package:

```command
sudo apt install mysql-server
```

`apt` identifies all available `mysql-server` packages and confirms that the MySQL package is the newest version. Then, it will calculate package dependencies and prompt you to approve the installation. Type `y` then `ENTER` to proceed with the installation. 

You will be asked to create a **root** password during the configuration phase of the installation. Be sure to choose a secure password. After you enter the password twice and hit `ENTER`, you will be asked to configure an authentication plugin. The default of **Use Strong Password Encryption** is recommended, so press `ENTER` to choose it. The installation process will continue until finished. 

MySQL is now installed and running. You can check with `systemctl`:

```command
systemctl status mysql
```

```
[secondary_label Output]
● mysql.service - MySQL Community Server
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/mysql.service; enabled; vendor preset: >
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2021-08-05 22:11:42 UTC; 1min 23s ago
       Docs: man:mysqld(8)
             http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/en/using-systemd.html
    Process: 5268 ExecStartPre=/usr/share/mysql-8.0/mysql-systemd-start pre (cod>
   Main PID: 5322 (mysqld)
     Status: "Server is operational"
      Tasks: 37 (limit: 9513)
     Memory: 353.3M
     CGroup: /system.slice/mysql.service
             └─5322 /usr/sbin/mysqld
```

MySQL is installed and running if you see `Active: active (running)`. Next, you will secure your installation. 

## Step 3 — Securing MySQL

MySQL comes with a command we can use to perform a few security-related updates on our new install. Run the following command: 

```command
mysql_secure_installation
```

This command will bring up the configuration screen from earlier and ask for the MySQL **root** password credentials you created upon installation. Type it in and press `ENTER`. Then, you will answer a series of yes or no prompts. This is what they’ll ask: 

- First, you will be asked whether you want to enable the **validate password plugin**, a plugin that can automatically enforce certain password strength rules for your MySQL users. Enabling this is a decision you'll need to make based on your individual security needs. Type `y` and `ENTER` to enable it, or press `ENTER` to skip it. If enabled, you will also be prompted to choose a level from 0–2 on how strict the password validation will be. Choose a number and hit `ENTER` to continue.

- Second, you'll be asked if you want to change the **root** password. Since you created the password during installation, you can safely skip this. Hit `ENTER` to continue without updating the password.

- Lastly, the other prompts can be answered **yes**. You will be asked about removing the **anonymous** MySQL user, disallowing remote **root** login, removing the **test** database, and reloading privilege tables to ensure the previous changes take effect properly. Type `y` and hit `ENTER` for each.

The configuration screen will disappear after all the prompts are answered. This indicates your MySQL installation is reasonably secured. You can confirm by running a client that connects to the server and returns some information.

## Step 4 – Testing MySQL

`mysqladmin` is a command line administrative client for MySQL. You will use it connect to the server and output some version and status information:

```command
mysqladmin -u root -p version
```

The `-u root` portion of this command tells `mysqladmin` to log in as the MySQL **root** user, `-p` instructs the client to ask for a password, and `version` is the actual command we want to run.

The output will let us know what version of the MySQL server is running, its uptime, and some other status information:

```
[secondary_label Output]
mysqladmin  Ver 8.0.26 for Linux on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Server version          8.0.26
Protocol version        10
Connection              Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket             /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:                 31 min 1 sec

Threads: 2  Questions: 12  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 130  Flush tables: 3  Open tables: 49  Queries per second avg: 0.006

```
This output indicates that you’ve successfully installed and secured the latest MySQL server.

## Conclusion

You've now completed a basic install of the latest version of MySQL, which will work for many popular applications. If you have more advanced needs you can apply some other configuration tasks:

- If you prefer a graphical interface for administering your MySQL server, phpMyAdmin is a popular web-based solution. Our tutorial [How To Install and Secure phpMyAdmin](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-secure-phpmyadmin-on-ubuntu-20-04) can get you started.
- If you want to create a new MySQL user, you can follow our tutorial [How To Create a New User and Grant Permissions in MySQL](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-create-a-new-user-and-grant-permissions-in-mysql)
- If you want to create copies of your data in MySQL, check out our tutorial [How To Set Up Replication in MySQL](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-replication-in-mysql)

In this tutorial, we will install the MySQL official apt software repository, then install the MySQL software itself, secure the installation, and finish up with testing that MySQL is running and responding to commands.

How To Install the Latest MySQL on Ubuntu 20.04

Associate Developer Educator

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