MySQL Installation Guide

In this post, we are going to learn how to install MySQL on Windows, any version. Since it is one of the most popular open source databases (if not the most), especially in the field of web development, knowing how to install MySQL Server is practically a must in any server environment.

If you want to complete the mysql installation and configuration guide on Windows, you must meet some basic requirements.

The MySQL installer for Windows requires Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 to be present on the system, so if you don't have it, it is mandatory to download and install it before installing MySQL.

While MySQL Server 8 is available for 64-bit versions of Windows, only MySQL Server 5.x versions will be available for Windows 32-bit.

We are going to download MySQL for Windows by visiting the official MySQL page, where we will end up reaching the MySQL Community download page. There we can download MySQL Community Server for Windows, which we can use freely for our projects.

In this case, we choose the recommended download, the MSI version for the Microsoft installer and it will take us to a new page that will offer us the download of a small web installer or the larger download of the full installer. This last option is the one I usually prefer:

On all MySQL product download pages, before downloading we will be asked if we want to enter our Oracle account or register if we do not have one.

Neither of the two things is necessary to download MySQL Server for Windows, since a direct link to the download is offered a little below, " No thanks, just start my download ", which is the one we are going to use in this tutorial. The MySQL download will begin, about 420MB in the version available at the time of writing this post.

To install MySQL Server on Windows we will start the installer that we just downloaded. We must confirm when the user account control asks us if we allow the installation. After a few short preliminary tasks, the MySQL Server installer will show the opening screen, in which we are asked to choose the type of installation:

Developer Default: Very specific and developer-oriented.

Server only: Install only MySQL Server.
The client only: Installs the console and graphical clients, but also development components.
Full: Install everything that comes in the package.
Custom: Allows you to choose what we want to install.

If you don't want to complicate your life, the Developer and Full options are safe. In my case, I don't want development components that I'm not going to use, as well as plugins, documentation, examples, etc. That is why I will choose the Custom option.

This Custom option allows us to carefully choose what to install:

The MySQL Server
The graphical MySQL Workbench utility
The MySQL Shell console client

And everything else I don't need, it's wasted hard drive. In any case, it is a good idea to go through all the optional items one by one to see what they offer us, and to decide whether to include them or not. When we have selected everything that interests us, we will continue.

Next, the MySQL installer checks for certain system software requirements, offering us the ability to automatically download and install whatever is missing.

The list will depend on each system and whether or not these products have been previously installed. We'll try our luck and select " Execute ", whereupon the installer starts downloading these software dependencies directly.

Before starting the file copy, the installer will show a status screen with the list of MySQL products (the ones we had previously selected) to be installed.

On that same screen, we will see the progress of the installation of each of the selected components. Clicking on " Show Details " will show what exactly the installer is doing at all times.

Once all this process is finished, we can advance to the configuration phase. In this case, as the installer will inform us, the only product that will be configured is MySQL Server, since clients do not need a configuration as such.

As we continue, we enter the first section of the configuration, titled " High Availability ". We will have to choose between the classic standalone server installation (or replication group member), or a test cluster. The usual thing is to choose the first option.

For more visit openport.net MySQL installation guide.