How to install MariaDB on CentOS 8

The procedure to install MariaDB on a CentOS Enterprise Linux 8 is as follows:

1. Open the terminal application. Another option is to log in using the ssh command
   ssh user@centos-8-server-ip
2. Installing the MariaDB on CentOS 8, type:
   sudo yum install mariadb-server
3. Securing the MariaDB server in CentOS 8, run:
   sudo mysql_secure_installation
4. Finally test your installation by running:
   mysql -u root -p

Let us see all steps and commands in details.

Installing MariaDB on CentOS 8 using the yum command

One can search for MariaDB package using the following syntax:
sudo yum search mariadb

Want to find out MariaDB server version? Try:
sudo yum info mariadb
Sample outputs:

Last metadata expiration check: 0:37:22 ago on Tuesday 01 October 2019 02:35:21 PM UTC.
Installed Packages
Name         : mariadb
Epoch        : 3
Version      : 10.3.11
Release      : 2.module_el8.0.0+35+6f2527ed
Arch         : x86_64
Size         : 38 M
Source       : mariadb-10.3.11-2.module_el8.0.0+35+6f2527ed.src.rpm
Repo         : @System
From repo    : AppStream
Summary      : A very fast and robust SQL database server
URL          : http://mariadb.org
License      : GPLv2 with exceptions and LGPLv2 and BSD.
Description  : MariaDB is a community developed branch of MySQL - a multi-user, multi-threaded

Installation

Next type the following yum command to MariaDB version 10.3.11 on CentOS 8:
$ sudo yum install mariadb-server

How to enable mariadb.service at CentOS 8 server boot time

Run the following systemctl command:
$ sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/mysql.service ? /usr/lib/systemd/system/mariadb.service.
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/mysqld.service ? /usr/lib/systemd/system/mariadb.service.
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/mariadb.service ? /usr/lib/systemd/system/mariadb.service.

How to start/stop/restart mariadb.service on CentOS 8

Again use the following syntax:
$ sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
$ sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
$ sudo systemctl restart mariadb.service
$ sudo systemctl status mariadb.service

How to secure the MariaDB Server on CentOS 8

You must secure the MariaDB server by running the following command for production use:
$ sudo mysql_secure_installation

How do I log in to the MariaDB server?

Use the mysql command as follows:
$ mysql -u root -p

How to add database on the MariaDB server

First, log in as root user:
$ mysql -u root -p mysql
Create a new MariaDB database called blog1. Type the following command at MariaDB> prompt:
CREATE DATABASE blog1;

How to add users on the MariaDB server

Create a new user called tristan for database called blog1 (feel free to replace username and secretePasswordHere with actual password):
GRANT ALL ON blog1.* TO tristan@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'secretePasswordHere';
List all database:
show databases;
Quit from MariaDB:
quit

How to connect to the MariaDB database nixcraft using vivek account

$ mysql -u tristan -p'secretePasswordHere' blog1
OR
$ mysql -u tristan -p blog1

For further information see:

• Create a MySQL Database, Tables and Insert Data
• Mysql User Creation: Setting Up a New MySQL User Account
• How to delete or remove a MySQL/MariaDB user account on Linux/Unix
• How Do I Enable Remote Access To MySQL Database Server?

Conclusion

You completed and secured MariaDB on CentOS 8 server. Further, you learned how to create users and databases on the MariaDB server. For more info see MariaDB site here and recommended MariaDB books here.