🔧 Lesson 2: Installing MySQL (LAMP Stack)

The Big Picture: What We're Installing

In Lesson 1, we mentioned the LAMP stack — Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP. Here's what each piece does and why we need it:

Choose Your Installation Path

Pick the section that matches your operating system:

Windows: Installing via WSL (Ubuntu)

Step 1: Install WSL and Ubuntu

If you don't already have WSL set up, open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click the Start button → "Terminal (Admin)" or "PowerShell (Admin)") and run:

wsl --install
                

This installs WSL 2 with Ubuntu as the default Linux distribution. When it finishes:

1. Restart your computer when prompted
2. After reboot, Ubuntu will launch automatically and ask you to create a username and password — this is your Linux user account (separate from your Windows login)
3. Remember this password! You'll need it for sudo commands

Step 2: Update Your System

Open your Ubuntu terminal (search "Ubuntu" in the Start menu) and update your package lists:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
                

Step 3: Install MySQL Server

sudo apt install mysql-server -y
                

Step 4: Start MySQL

In WSL, services don't auto-start like on a regular Linux server. Start MySQL manually:

sudo service mysql start
                

Check that it's running:

sudo service mysql status
                

You should see output indicating the service is active (running).

echo "sudo service mysql start" >> ~/.bashrc
                    

Step 5: Install Apache and PHP (for phpMyAdmin)

If you want to use phpMyAdmin (recommended), install Apache and PHP:

sudo apt install apache2 php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php -y
                

Start Apache:

sudo service apache2 start
                

Verify Apache is working by opening your browser and visiting http://localhost. You should see the Apache default page.

Now skip ahead to the Securing Your Installation section.

macOS: Installing via Homebrew

Step 1: Install Homebrew (if needed)

Homebrew is the standard package manager for macOS. If you don't have it, open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal) and run:

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

Follow the prompts. When it finishes, you may need to add Homebrew to your PATH. The installer will tell you exactly what to run — it's usually something like:

# For Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4):
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

# For Intel Macs:
echo 'eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"
                

Verify Homebrew is working:

brew --version
                

Step 2: Install MySQL

brew install mysql
                

Step 3: Start MySQL

Start MySQL and configure it to launch automatically on login:

brew services start mysql
                

Verify it's running:

brew services list
                

You should see mysql listed with a status of started.

Step 4: Install Apache and PHP (for phpMyAdmin)

macOS comes with Apache pre-installed, but for a cleaner setup with PHP, use Homebrew:

# Install PHP
brew install php

# Start the built-in Apache (macOS already has it)
sudo apachectl start
                

Verify Apache by visiting http://localhost in your browser. You should see an "It works!" page.

Now skip ahead to the Securing Your Installation section.

Linux (Native Ubuntu/Debian)

If you're running Ubuntu or Debian natively (not through WSL), the process is the same as the WSL instructions but services auto-start.

Step 1: Update Your System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
                

Step 2: Install the Full LAMP Stack

You can install everything in one command:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php -y
                

Step 3: Verify Services Are Running

On native Linux, services usually start automatically after installation:

# Check MySQL
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Check Apache
sudo systemctl status apache2
                

Both should show active (running). If not, start them:

sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl start apache2
                

Enable them to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable mysql
sudo systemctl enable apache2
                

Now continue to the Securing Your Installation section.

Securing Your Installation

By default, MySQL's root account may have no password or use a socket-based authentication method. Let's secure it.

Run the Security Script

MySQL ships with a built-in security script that walks you through hardening your installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation
                

The script will ask you several questions. Here are the recommended answers for a development environment:

Set Up Password Authentication for Root

On Ubuntu, MySQL's root user defaults to auth_socket authentication (login via sudo without a password). For this course, we'll switch to password authentication so you can log in from phpMyAdmin and other tools:

# Log in as root (uses sudo/socket auth)
sudo mysql
                

Now run these SQL commands inside the MySQL prompt:

-- Switch root to password authentication
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_password_here';

-- Apply changes
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Exit
EXIT;
                

Test that password login works:

mysql -u root -p
                

You'll be prompted for the password you just set. If you see the mysql> prompt, you're in! Type EXIT; to leave.

Installing phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a free, web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. It lets you create databases, design tables, run queries, import/export data, and manage users — all from your browser. It's especially helpful when you're learning because you can see your data visually.

Ubuntu / WSL Installation

sudo apt install phpmyadmin -y
                

During installation, you'll see some prompts:

1. Web server to reconfigure automatically: Select apache2 (use spacebar to select, then Enter)
2. Configure database for phpmyadmin with dbconfig-common? Select Yes
3. Password for phpMyAdmin's database user: Choose a password (this is for phpMyAdmin's own internal database, not your root password)

If Apache doesn't pick up phpMyAdmin automatically, enable it manually:

sudo ln -s /etc/phpmyadmin/apache.conf /etc/apache2/conf-available/phpmyadmin.conf
sudo a2enconf phpmyadmin
sudo service apache2 reload
                

Now open your browser and visit http://localhost/phpmyadmin. Log in with:

• Username: root
• Password: the root password you set in the previous section

macOS Installation

On macOS, the easiest approach is to download phpMyAdmin manually:

1. Download the latest version from phpmyadmin.net/downloads
2. Extract the archive and rename the folder to phpmyadmin
3. Move it to your web server's document root:

   
   # Default Apache document root on macOS
   sudo mv ~/Downloads/phpmyadmin /Library/WebServer/Documents/phpmyadmin
                           

4. Create a configuration file:

   
   cd /Library/WebServer/Documents/phpmyadmin
   cp config.sample.inc.php config.inc.php
                           

5. Edit config.inc.php and set a blowfish secret (any random 32-character string):

   
   $cfg['blowfish_secret'] = 'put-a-random-32-character-string-here!!';
                           

6. Restart Apache: sudo apachectl restart
7. Visit http://localhost/phpmyadmin

Verifying Everything Works

Let's run through a quick checklist to make sure your entire setup is working.

1. MySQL Is Running

# Ubuntu / WSL
sudo service mysql status

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew services list

# Native Linux
sudo systemctl status mysql
                

You should see active or started.

2. You Can Log In

mysql -u root -p
                

Enter your password. If you see the mysql> prompt, run a quick test:

-- Check MySQL version
SELECT VERSION();

-- List existing databases
SHOW DATABASES;

-- Exit
EXIT;
                

mysql> SELECT VERSION();
+-----------+
| VERSION() |
+-----------+
| 8.0.xx    |
+-----------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> SHOW DATABASES;
+--------------------+
| Database           |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql              |
| performance_schema |
| sys                |
+--------------------+
4 rows in set (0.01 sec)
                    

Those four databases are MySQL's built-in system databases — you'll never need to touch them directly. Your own databases will appear in this list as you create them.

3. Apache Is Serving Pages (if installed)

Open your browser and go to http://localhost. You should see a default Apache page.

4. phpMyAdmin Is Accessible (if installed)

Visit http://localhost/phpmyadmin and log in with your root credentials. You should see the phpMyAdmin dashboard with your databases listed on the left.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

# WSL / Ubuntu
sudo service mysql start

# macOS
brew services start mysql

# Native Linux
sudo systemctl start mysql
                    

# Log in via sudo (bypasses password)
sudo mysql

# Then reset the password inside MySQL:
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'new_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
                    

sudo apt install php-mysql php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-json php-curl -y
sudo service apache2 restart
                    

sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt install mysql-server -y
                    

# Make sure MySQL is running
brew services restart mysql

# Try connecting without sudo
mysql -u root
                    

# Find your WSL IP
hostname -I
                    

Exercises

Summary

🚀 What's Next?

Your database server is up and running. In the next lesson, you'll learn to navigate both the MySQL command-line interface (CLI) and phpMyAdmin — running queries, exploring databases, and getting comfortable with the tools you'll use throughout this course.