How do I log into MySQL?

I remember the first time I downloaded MySQL. I think I was using Mandrake Linux. Anyway, the install was fairly painless but once it was installed, I had no clue how to run queries.

I was coming from an Oracle background and was used to SQL*Plus. I was also familiar with PostgreSQL and psql. For the life of me, I could not figure out how to get into MySQL.

So, for you developers and brand new users, you can easily start MySQL and start using it. This is not meant for a production installation, just for playing on your laptop or desktop.

Start MySQL by running mysqld (mysqld.exe on Windows). It will be in your MySQL home/bin directory. That gets the server portion of our program running.

The SQL*Plus equivalent is mysql (or mysql.exe). If you are logging in for the first time, you can use root. Once you are in, you can create other users.

To log in and run commands, type:

mysql -u root

That will load the character based MySQL Monitor. At this point you are in and ready to play.

LewisC