Install and Configure DB Server

🎯 Objective

Learn how to install, start, and configure a database server so applications can store and retrieve data securely and efficiently.

A database server stores structured data and allows applications to communicate with it using SQL.

Common database servers include:

For this exercise we will configure MariaDB, a popular open-source database server.

# 1️⃣ Install MariaDB Server

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server -y

RHEL / CentOS / Amazon Linux

sudo yum install mariadb-server -y

# 2️⃣ Start and Enable Database Service

Start the server:

sudo systemctlstart mariadb

Enable it at boot:

sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Check status:

sudo systemctl status mariadb

# 3️⃣ Secure the Database Installation

Run the security script:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

This script helps you:

Example prompt:

Set root password? Y
Remove anonymous users? Y
Disallow root login remotely? Y
Remove test database? Y
Reload privilege tables? Y

# 4️⃣ Login to Database Server

sudo mysql

You will see:

MariaDB [(none)]>

Exit:

exit;

# 5️⃣ Create a Database

CREATE DATABASE companydb;

Show databases:

SHOW DATABASES;

# 6️⃣ Create a Database User

CREATE USER 'dbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPassword';

Grant privileges:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON companydb.*TO'dbuser'@'localhost';

Apply privileges:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

# 7️⃣ Test Database Connection

Login using the new user:

mysql -u dbuser -p companydb

# 8️⃣ Check Database Port

Default database port:

3306

Check listening port:

sudo ss-tunlp | grep3306

# 🧠 Database Server Architecture

Client Application
        │
        ▼
   Database Server
        │
        ▼
     Databases
        │
 ┌──────┼──────┐
 ▼      ▼      ▼
Tables Tables Tables

# 🧪 Troubleshooting

Check service status

sudo systemctl status mariadb

Restart database server

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

View logs

sudo journalctl -u mariadb

# ✅ Summary