How to install MariaDB Client on Mac, Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows

The MariaDB client is a command-line tool used to connect to and interact with MariaDB and MySQL database servers. It evolved directly from the MySQL client when MariaDB was created as a fork of MySQL. Below describe how to install it on Mac, Ubuntu, CentOS and Windows respectively.

macOS#

Homebrew (Recommended)#

Install Homebrew (if not already installed):

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install MariaDB client:
```
brew install mariadb-client
```
Add to your PATH (if needed): After installation, Homebrew may display a message asking you to add the client to your PATH. Follow the instructions shown in the terminal after installation.

Troubleshooting on macOS#

Command not found: If the mariadb command isn't found after installation:
```
brew link --force mariadb-client
```
Or manually add the path as shown in the installation message.
Connection issues: If you have problems connecting to a remote server, check your firewall settings and ensure the server allows remote connections.

Ubuntu#

apt#

Update the package index:
```
sudo apt update
```
Install MariaDB client only:
```
sudo apt install mariadb-client
```

MariaDB Repository (For Latest Version)#

Import the MariaDB repository key:

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo apt-key adv --fetch-keys 'https://mariadb.org/mariadb_release_signing_key.asc'

Add the MariaDB repository:
```
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb [arch=amd64,arm64,ppc64el] https://mirrors.xtom.com/mariadb/repo/10.6/ubuntu focal main'
```
Note: Replace focal with your Ubuntu version codename and 10.6 with your desired MariaDB version.

Update and install the client only:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-client

Troubleshooting on Ubuntu#

Missing dependencies: If you see dependency errors:
```
sudo apt --fix-broken install
```
Configure client settings: Client configuration can be added in:
```
sudo nano /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-mariadb-clients.cnf
```

CentOS#

Yum#

Create a MariaDB repository file:
```
sudo vi /etc/yum.repos.d/MariaDB.repo
```
Add the following content to the file:
[mariadb] name = MariaDB baseurl = https://mirrors.xtom.com/mariadb/yum/10.6/centos8-amd64 gpgkey = https://mirrors.xtom.com/mariadb/yum/RPM-GPG-KEY-MariaDB gpgcheck = 1
Note: Replace centos8-amd64 with your CentOS version and architecture, and 10.6 with your desired MariaDB version.
Install MariaDB client only:
```
sudo yum install MariaDB-client
```

Troubleshooting on CentOS#

Repository issues: If you have problems with the repository:
```
sudo yum clean all
sudo yum makecache
```
OpenSSL dependencies: If you encounter OpenSSL dependency problems:
```
sudo yum install openssl-devel
```

Windows#

MSI#

Download the MSI installer from the official MariaDB website.
Run the installer and follow these steps:
- Accept the license agreement
- Choose "Custom" installation type
- Deselect "Database instance" and keep only "Client programs" checked
- Choose installation path (default is usually fine)
- Complete the installation

Chocolatey#

Install Chocolatey (if not already installed):

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Install MariaDB client only:
choco install mariadb-cli

Troubleshooting on Windows#

Path issues: If the 'mariadb' command isn't recognized:
1. Right-click on This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables
2. In System Variables, find PATH, click Edit
3. Add the bin directory path (e.g., C:\Program Files\MariaDB\bin)
4. Click OK and restart Command Prompt
DLL errors: If you encounter missing DLL errors, try installing the Visual C++ Redistributable packages.

Verifying Your Installation#

To verify your MariaDB client installation is working properly:

Check the client version:
```
mariadb --version
```
This should display something like: mariadb Ver 15.1 Distrib 10.6.12-MariaDB, for OS-Type
Test connecting to a remote server:
```
mariadb -h hostname -u username -p
```
Replace hostname with your server address, username with your database username, and enter your password when prompted.

Using the MariaDB Client#

Creating a Client Configuration File#

You can create a configuration file to store connection parameters:

Create or edit the client configuration file:
- On macOS/Linux: ~/.mariadb/mariadb.cnf or ~/.my.cnf
- On Windows: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\MariaDB\mariadb.ini
Add your connection details:
[client] host=your_server_address user=your_username password=your_password
Secure the file (on Linux/macOS):
```
chmod 600 ~/.mariadb/mariadb.cnf
```
Connect without parameters:
```
mariadb
```

Setting Up Connection Aliases#

For connecting to multiple databases easily:

Edit your configuration file:
[client] # Default connection [server1] host=server1.example.com user=username1 password=password1 database=database1 [server2] host=server2.example.com user=username2 password=password2 database=database2
Connect using an alias:
```
mariadb --defaults-group-suffix=server1
```