How to Create a MySQL Database for WordPress Using the Command Line (Linux)

February 5, 2019 | by Marc Bacon

There are a number of instructions for creating a MySQL database via the command line online. As with many instructions, many are overcomplicated, under-explained, or just plain confusing. This is a simple guide for someone who wants to simply set up a new database and user in MySQL.

This guide is written with WordPress in mind but could be used for a number of applications.

Simple Instructions

Use the following instructions to create a new database in MySQL using the command line.

Step 1: Connect to Your Server via SSH

Step 2: Log in to MySQL

mysql -u root -p

Step 3: Create the New Database

Replace database_name in the example below with a name for your database.

CREATE DATABASE database_name DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;

You can confirm that the database was created by running this command:

SHOW DATABASES;

Step 4: Create a New Database User

In this step, you are going to create a new user and grant all permissions for the database to that user. I usually choose to grant all permissions to the user that I am creating to manage my WordPress websites. It is important to create a new database user for every WordPress install on your server as an added security measure.

In the example below, replace database_name with the name of your database, database_user with the name of the user that you would like to create, and user_password with the password that you would like to use for the new user.

GRANT ALL ON database_name.* TO 'database_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password';

Step 5: Flush Privileges

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 6: Exit MySQL

EXIT;

Now that your new database is setup and ready to use, you can import an existing database from a MySQL dump file. Instructions on how to do this can be found in my guide: How to Easily Import and Export WordPress MySQL Databases Using the Command Line (Linux).

Next Steps