How to install local MariaDB on your Mac, Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows

This guide covers how to install a local MariaDB on your Mac, Ubuntu, CentOS, or Windows.

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:
```
brew install mariadb
```
Start MariaDB service:
```
brew services start mariadb
```

DMG Installer#

Download the MariaDB installer from the official website.
Open the downloaded DMG file and follow the installation wizard.
Start MariaDB from System Preferences or the command line:
```
sudo mysql.server start
```

Troubleshooting on macOS#

Socket error: If you get a socket error, check if MariaDB is running:
```
brew services list
```
Restart if needed:
```
brew services restart mariadb
```
Connection refused: If you can't connect to the server:
```
mysql.server start
```
Configuration file location: The default configuration file is at:
- /usr/local/etc/my.cnf (if installed with Homebrew)
- /etc/my.cnf (if installed with DMG)
Log file location: Check logs for detailed error messages:
```
tail -f /usr/local/var/mysql/$(hostname).err
```

Ubuntu#

apt#

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

Start and enable MariaDB service:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

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:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server

Troubleshooting on Ubuntu#

Service won't start: Check for errors in the log:
```
sudo journalctl -u mariadb
```
Permission issues: Ensure data directory has correct permissions:
```
sudo chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql
```
Configuration file location: Ubuntu typically stores configuration in:
/etc/mysql/mariadb.cnf /etc/mysql/conf.d/ /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/
Checking service status:
```
sudo systemctl status mariadb
```

Reinstalling after problems:

sudo apt purge mariadb-server mariadb-client
sudo apt autoremove
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql
sudo apt install mariadb-server

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:

sudo yum install MariaDB-server MariaDB-client

Start and enable MariaDB service:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Troubleshooting on CentOS#

Service fails to start: Check the system logs:
```
sudo journalctl -u mariadb
```
SELinux issues: SELinux might block MariaDB from accessing needed resources. Check with:
```
sudo ausearch -c 'mysqld' --raw
```
To temporarily disable SELinux for testing:
```
sudo setenforce 0
```

Firewall problems: If you can't connect remotely, check firewall settings:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=mysql
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Configuration file location: The default configuration file is usually at:
/etc/my.cnf /etc/my.cnf.d/mariadb-server.cnf

Completely reinstalling MariaDB:

sudo systemctl stop mariadb
sudo yum remove MariaDB-server MariaDB-client
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql
# Then reinstall using the steps above

Windows#

MSI#

Download the MSI installer from the official MariaDB website.
Run the installer and follow these steps:
- Accept the license agreement
- Choose installation path (default is usually fine)
- Set password for the root user
- Configure service settings (recommended to run as a service)
- Choose TCP port (default is 3306)
- Set character set (UTF8 recommended)
- Click Install to complete the process
Verify the installation by opening Command Prompt and connecting:
mysql -u root -p

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:
choco install mariadb

Troubleshooting on Windows#

Service not starting: Check Windows Services (services.msc) and ensure MariaDB service is set to Automatic. If it fails to start:
1. Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc)
2. Check under Windows Logs > Application for MariaDB errors
Port conflict: If port 3306 is in use, edit my.ini file to change the port number:
```
[mysqld]
port=3307  # Change to any available port
```
Configuration file location: Check for the configuration file at:
C:\Program Files\MariaDB\data\my.ini C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server\my.ini
Log file access: Check logs for detailed error messages:
C:\Program Files\MariaDB\data\MACHINENAME.err
Path issues: If the 'mysql' command isn't recognized, add it to your PATH:
1. Right-click on This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables
2. In System Variables, find PATH, click Edit
3. Add C:\Program Files\MariaDB\bin (adjust if installed in different location)
4. Click OK and restart Command Prompt

Initial Configuration#

After installation, it's important to secure your MariaDB installation:

Run the security script:
- On Linux/macOS:
```
sudo mysql_secure_installation
```
- On Windows (Command Prompt as Administrator): mysql_secure_installation
Follow the prompts to:
- Set a root password (if not already set)
- Remove anonymous users
- Disallow root login remotely
- Remove test database
- Reload privilege tables

Verifying Your Installation#

To install MariaDB client, you can refer to this post.

To verify your MariaDB installation:

Connect to MariaDB:
```
mariadb -u root -p
```
Enter your password when prompted.
Check the version:
```
SELECT VERSION();
```

Create a test database:

CREATE DATABASE test_db;
USE test_db;
CREATE TABLE test_table (id INT, name VARCHAR(50));
INSERT INTO test_table VALUES (1, 'Test Data');
SELECT * FROM test_table;

Exit MariaDB:
```
EXIT;
```