How to Access MySQL via Command Line

MySQL is the actual database system that uses the Structured Query Language to process data. MySQL is currently the most popular open source database and is frequently utilized with PHP to create dynamic websites. That said, MySQL also works well with Python, Ruby and Perl. This article will guide you on how to access the MySQL tool via command line.

Note that you can only access MySQL via Shell, or command line, via a VPS or Dedicated server account. This is not a feature that is available on shared accounts.

Accessing MySQL via command line

Log into your server via ssh.
Once in your shell, you will at the command line prompt. To log into the MySQL monitor, use the following syntax:
mysql -u -p

The tag will need to be replaced with the actual database username with which you want to sign into the monitor. If you do not know which user you want to use, you can find a list of users for your databases via your cPanel.

Once you have your database user name, enter command line code similar to below and hit Enter. In our case, we are using a database user named inmoti5_dbuser1.

root@vps9999 [~]# mysql -u inmoti5_dbuser1 -p

Due to the -p switch with nothing following, you will be required to enter your password as below. Simply enter the password and click Enter.

Enter password:

After entering the correct password you will be met with the following greeting and MySQL prompt:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or g.
Your MySQL connection id is 19472
Server version: 5.5.30-cll MySQL Community Server (GPL)

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Type ‘help;’ or ‘h’ for help. Type ‘c’ to clear the current input statement.

mysql>

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