Install MariaDB on macOS

Open source SQL database, a community-developed drop-in replacement for MySQL.

Databasesqlrdbmsrelationaldatabaseacidmysql-compatible

Installation

Server (Homebrew) · Homebrew

$ brew install mariadb

Installs the MariaDB server and client (mariadb, mariadbd).

Verify the installation

Verify

$ mariadb --version

Service

Start

$ brew services start mariadb

Stop

$ brew services stop mariadb

Status

$ brew services info mariadb

Restart

$ brew services restart mariadb

Important files

Type	Path	Description
config	/opt/homebrew/etc/my.cnf	Main configuration file (Apple Silicon; /usr/local/etc on Intel).
data	/opt/homebrew/var/mysql	Data directory (Apple Silicon; /usr/local/var/mysql on Intel).

Default ports

3306

Command-line tools

mariadbInteractive SQL client (mysql is kept as a symlink).
mariadbdThe database server daemon.
mariadb-adminAdministrative client (status, shutdown, password).
mariadb-secure-installationHardening script: set the root password, remove test data.

Uninstall

brew services stop mariadb
brew uninstall mariadb

The /opt/homebrew/var/mysql data directory may remain; delete it manually to wipe everything.

Good to know

Homebrew's mariadb starts with no root password: run mariadb-secure-installation to set one.
The /opt/homebrew paths are for Apple Silicon; on Intel use /usr/local. Check with brew --prefix.

Installation with Homebrew

brew install mariadb installs the server (mariadbd) and client (mariadb). Start it as a background service with brew services start mariadb. The configuration is /opt/homebrew/etc/my.cnf and the data lives under /opt/homebrew/var/mysql (Apple Silicon; /usr/local on Intel).

Securing the installation

Homebrew's MariaDB starts without a root password. Run mariadb-secure-installation right away to set one, remove anonymous accounts, and drop the test database. Then connect with mariadb -u root -p.

MySQL compatibility

The classic mysql command is provided as a symlink to mariadb, so existing scripts and clients keep working. If you already ran MySQL via Homebrew, uninstall it first — both engines listen on port 3306 and cannot run at the same time.