Getting Started with MySQL on macOS

Diving into databases? MySQL is one of the most popular open-source relational database systems out there, and setting it up on macOS is surprisingly straightforward. Let me walk you through the process I use to get MySQL up and running.

Installing MySQL with Homebrew

The easiest way to install MySQL on macOS is through Homebrew. If you don’t have Homebrew installed yet, start with:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Once you have Homebrew ready, installing MySQL takes just one command:

brew install mysql

Starting MySQL Service

After installation, you’ll want to start the MySQL service:

brew services start mysql

This command ensures MySQL runs in the background and automatically starts when you boot your Mac.

Securing Your MySQL Installation

Fresh installations of MySQL have no root password by default—not exactly secure! Let’s fix that by running the security script:

mysql_secure_installation

You’ll be guided through several security questions:

  • Setting a root password (highly recommended)
  • Removing anonymous users
  • Disallowing remote root login
  • Removing test databases
  • Reloading privilege tables

I typically answer “Y” to all these to create a more secure setup.

Logging In to MySQL

Now you can log in to your MySQL server:

mysql -u root -p

Enter the password you just created in the secure installation step.

Creating Your First Database

Once you’re logged in, let’s create a database:

CREATE DATABASE my_first_db;

To verify it was created:

SHOW DATABASES;

You should see your new database in the list.

Creating a New User

Working as root all the time isn’t the best practice. Let’s create a regular user:

CREATE USER 'myuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Remember to use a strong password!

Granting Permissions

Now give your new user some permissions:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON my_first_db.* TO 'myuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Stopping MySQL Service

When you’re done working with MySQL and want to free up resources:

brew services stop mysql

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Can’t Connect to Server

If you see “Can’t connect to local MySQL server through socket,” try:

brew services restart mysql

Reset Root Password

Forgot your password? You’ll need to:

  1. Stop MySQL: brew services stop mysql
  2. Start in safe mode: mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables
  3. In another terminal: mysql -u root
  4. Reset the password: 
    USE mysql;
UPDATE user SET authentication_string=PASSWORD('new_password') WHERE User='root';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
  5. Stop the safe mode instance and restart normally.

Setting up a MySQL database might seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it’s a powerful tool for your development projects. What are you building with MySQL?