How to Install MariaDB Server on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

This guide explains how to manually install and configure MariaDB Server on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. These are the same steps that our Ansible playbook performs automatically.

Step 1 - Update the Package List

Update Ubuntu's package database to ensure the latest software versions are available.

sudo apt update

You should see Ubuntu downloading package information.

Step 2 - Install MariaDB Server

Install the MariaDB server, client tools, and the Python library used by Ansible.

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client python3-pymysql -y

The installation may take several minutes.

Step 3 - Verify MariaDB Installation

Check that MariaDB has been installed successfully.

mariadb --version

Example output:

mariadb Ver 15.1 Distrib 10.11.x-MariaDB

Step 4 - Enable MariaDB to Start Automatically

This ensures MariaDB starts automatically whenever the server boots.

sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 5 - Start MariaDB

Start the MariaDB database service.

sudo systemctl start mariadb

Step 6 - Check Service Status

Verify that the MariaDB service is running correctly.

sudo systemctl status mariadb

If everything is working correctly, you should see:

Active: active (running)

Press Q to exit the status screen.

Step 7 - Log Into MariaDB

Connect to the MariaDB server as the root user.

sudo mariadb

You should now see the MariaDB prompt:

MariaDB [(none)]>

Step 8 - Set the Root Password

Replace YourSecurePassword with your own strong password.

ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost'
IDENTIFIED BY 'YourSecurePassword';

Step 9 - Remove Anonymous Users

Delete anonymous accounts to improve security.

DELETE FROM mysql.user
WHERE User='';

Step 10 - Remove the Test Database

The test database is not needed on production servers.

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS test;

Step 11 - Reload Privileges

Apply all security changes.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 12 - Exit MariaDB

EXIT;

Step 13 - Log In Using Your New Password

Verify that the root password works.

sudo mariadb -u root -p

Enter the password you created in Step 8.

Step 14 - Verify the MariaDB Version

Once logged in, verify that the database is working correctly.

SELECT VERSION();

Example output:

+-----------------------------------+
| VERSION()                         |
+-----------------------------------+
| 10.11.14-MariaDB-0ubuntu0.24.04.1 |
+-----------------------------------+

Step 15 - Exit MariaDB

EXIT;

Verification Checklist

• ✔ MariaDB installed successfully
• ✔ MariaDB service is running
• ✔ Service starts automatically after reboot
• ✔ Root password configured
• ✔ Anonymous users removed
• ✔ Test database removed
• ✔ Successfully logged in using the root password
• ✔ Database version displayed successfully