Installing a database

When we think of a database on a Linux machine, the first thing that often comes to our mind is MySQL. It is the first choice because it is free, open source, reliable, and comes with a rich toolset. On Raspberry Pi 2 with quad cores, MySQL has become an even more attractive solution, but I will still cover the alternative to SQLite that is lightweight and robust.

Installing MySQL

MySQL has been around for a very long time, and unless you are looking for a specific version, you can use the current repository to install MySQL version 5.5:

sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install mysql-server

You will be presented with blue-background screens asking you for the root user password. You should write these down and keep them in a secure location, but it is more convenient and secure to store passwords in an application such as KeePass.

Tip

It is good practice to never use the root user with MySQL for web applications, especially the production ones available on the Internet...