Install MariaDB on Ubuntu / Debian

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

Databasesqlrdbmsrelationaldatabaseacidmysql-compatible

Installation

Server (Ubuntu repositories) · apt

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mariadb-server

Installs the MariaDB server and client from Ubuntu's main repository.

Verify the installation

Verify

$ mariadb --version

Service

Start

$ sudo systemctl start mariadb

Stop

$ sudo systemctl stop mariadb

Status

$ sudo systemctl status mariadb

Restart

$ sudo systemctl restart mariadb

On boot

$ sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Important files

Type	Path	Description
config	/etc/mysql/my.cnf	Top-level configuration (includes mariadb.conf.d).
data	/var/lib/mysql	Data directory.
log	/var/log/mysql/error.log	Server error log.

Default ports

3306

Command-line tools

mariadbInteractive SQL client (mysql is kept as a symlink).
mariadb-adminAdministrative client.
mariadb-secure-installationHardening script for the installation.

Uninstall

sudo apt purge -y 'mariadb-server*' mariadb-client
sudo apt autoremove -y

The /var/lib/mysql data directory remains; delete it manually to wipe everything.

Good to know

Run sudo mariadb-secure-installation after install to set the root password and apply secure defaults.
The default root account uses unix_socket auth: connect with sudo mariadb without a password.
MariaDB and MySQL cannot both occupy port 3306; install only one.

Installation on Ubuntu

sudo apt install -y mariadb-server installs MariaDB from Ubuntu's main repository and registers the mariadb systemd service, started automatically. Verify with mariadb --version.

Securing and first connection

By default the root account uses the unix_socket plugin: connect as the system root with sudo mariadb (no password). Run sudo mariadb-secure-installation to set passwords, remove anonymous accounts, and drop the test database.

Files and logs

The configuration entry point is /etc/mysql/my.cnf (which includes mariadb.conf.d); data lives in /var/lib/mysql and errors are logged to /var/log/mysql/error.log.