MySQL is one of the most popular open-source relational database management systems. It’s widely used in web applications, enterprise software, and data-driven projects.
This will show you how to install MySQL Server on Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS, set the root password, and verify the installation.
Step 1: Update Package Index
Open a terminal and update your system’s package index:
sudo apt update
Step 2: Install MySQL Server
Install MySQL Server package:
sudo apt install mysql-server
The installation will automatically start the MySQL service.
No password is required during installation as the default authentication plugin is auth_socket.
Step 3: Verify MySQL Installation
Exit the current terminal and open a new terminal, then try logging in:
mysql
You may get the error:
ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' (using password: NO)
This happens because MySQL on Ubuntu 18.04 uses auth_socket by default, which requires the root user to log in via the system user account.
Step 4: Log in as Root
Use sudo to access MySQL as root:
sudo mysql
Step 5: Set Root Password
Once inside the MySQL shell, run the following command to set a root password and switch to the mysql_native_password plugin:
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_password';
Replace 'your_password' with a strong password of your choice.
Step 6: Apply Changes
Flush privileges so the changes take effect:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Step 7: Verify MySQL Access
Now, you can log out of MySQL and log in again using the root password:
mysql -u root -p
Enter your password when prompted. Then verify your databases:
SHOW DATABASES;
You should see the default MySQL databases like mysql, information_schema, performance_schema, etc.
