DOCKER, MYSQL, CONTAINERS

Running a MySQL Server in a Docker Container

Introduction

Docker is a popular containerization platform that allows you to easily run and manage applications in isolated environments called containers. This guide will walk you through running a MySQL server in a Docker container using the docker run command, as well as how to connect to the server and some essential commands.

Running a MySQL Server in a Docker Container

To create and run a MySQL server in a Docker container, you can use the following command:

docker run --name=mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=passwd mysql

Let’s break down the command:

  • --name=mysql: This option sets the name of the container to “mysql”. You can choose any name you prefer.
  • -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=passwd: This option sets the root password for the MySQL server inside the container to “passwd”. Feel free to replace “passwd” with your desired password.
  • mysql: This is the name of the Docker image for the MySQL server.

This command will pull the MySQL image from the Docker Hub if it is not already available on your system, and then start a container running the MySQL server.

Waiting for the Server to be Ready

It is important to wait for the MySQL server to be fully initialized and ready before trying to make any connections to it. One way to do this is by using a shell script to check if the server is ready and waiting for connections:

#!/bin/bash

until docker exec mysql mysqladmin ping --silent; do
    sleep 1
done

echo "MySQL Server has started. Please wait for few more minutes for it to avoid:"
echo "ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)"
echo

sleep 60

echo "MySQL server is ready!"

If you encounter the error ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2). Please wait for few minutes and check again. You can save this script to a file, for example, wait-for-mysql.sh, and then run it to wait for the MySQL server to be ready.

Connecting to the MySQL Server

Once the MySQL server is ready, you can connect to it using the following command:

docker exec -it mysql mysql -u root -p

Enter the password set during docker run when asked. This command will open an interactive session inside the running MySQL container, allowing you to execute SQL commands and manage the MySQL server.

Essential MySQL Commands

Here are some essential MySQL commands that you can use to interact with the MySQL server:

  • SHOW DATABASES;: Lists all the databases on the server.
  • USE database_name;: Selects the specified database for use.
  • SHOW TABLES;: Lists all the tables in the current database.
  • CREATE DATABASE database_name;: Creates a new database with the specified name.
  • CREATE TABLE table_name (...);: Creates a new table with the specified name and columns.
  • INSERT INTO table_name VALUES (...);: Inserts a new row into the specified table.

Conclusion

In this guide, you learned how to create and run a MySQL server in a Docker container using the docker run command. You also learned how to wait for the server to be ready before connecting to it, as well as some essential commands for managing the MySQL server.

Running a MySQL server in a Docker container provides a portable and isolated environment for developing and testing applications that rely on a MySQL database. It also allows you to easily replicate the server configurations across different environments, making it simpler to deploy and scale your applications.

Happy MySQL Database learning !