How to Create a MySQL Database and User

What this is

This guide shows how to create a MySQL database and a dedicated user for an application.

What it is for

• Keep each app isolated with its own credentials
• Avoid using root for applications

Prerequisites

• MySQL/MariaDB installed
• SSH + sudo

Step-by-step

Step 1) Open MySQL shell

sudo mysql

Step 2) Create database

CREATE DATABASE appdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

What it does: Creates a database with modern UTF-8 support.

Step 3) Create user (local only recommended)

CREATE USER 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE';

Step 4) Grant privileges

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON appdb.* TO 'appuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 5) Verify

SHOW DATABASES;
EXIT;

Test login as the new user:

mysql -u appuser -p -h 127.0.0.1 appdb

Expected output: mysql> prompt after entering the password.

Warnings & notes

• Do not use weak passwords.
• Avoid creating users with '%' (remote access) unless necessary and protected.

Conclusion

You now have a dedicated DB and user for your application. This is safer and easier to manage than sharing root credentials.