Install MariaDB on AlmaLinux 9: A Quick, No‑Nonsense Guide
In this post you’ll learn exactly how to get MariaDB up and running on an AlmaLinux 9 machine—no extra repos, no fussing with MySQL compatibility layers. If you’ve ever tried installing a database on a fresh RHEL‑8 fork and hit a wall, this is the recipe that gets past it.
Why MariaDB on AlmaLinux?
MariaDB is the community‑driven fork of MySQL that keeps up with the latest performance tweaks while staying fully compatible with the vast majority of PHP/MySQL applications. On AlmaLinux 9 you can pull in the official MariaDB 10.x packages straight from their repository, which means you’ll get the newest bug fixes and security patches without the bloat of a generic “mysql” meta‑package.
Enable the MariaDB Repository
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://downloads.mariadb.org/mariadb/repositories/10.6/rpm/el/9/mariadb-10.6.repo
Why this matters: AlmaLinux’s default repositories don’t ship with MariaDB 10.x, so you need to point dnf at the official repo that matches your OS version (here, EL 9). Skipping this step and trying a generic “dnf install mariadb” will pull in an older 5.5 release or nothing at all.
Install MariaDB Server
sudo dnf install -y MariaDB-server MariaDB-client
The -y flag skips the prompt; useful for scripts or when you’re already comfortable with what’s being installed. The two packages give you the daemon and the command‑line client you’ll use to interact with it.
Start & Enable the Service
sudo systemctl start mariadb sudo systemctl enable mariadb
Starting the service launches the database engine; enabling it guarantees that MariaDB boots on every system startup. If you forget this step, systemctl status mariadb will report “inactive” even though the binary exists.
Secure the Installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation
A quick walkthrough:
1. Set root password – I’ve seen servers where the root account had no password after an upgrade, and that’s a recipe for disaster.
2. Remove anonymous users – These are great in demos but useless (and risky) on production boxes.
3. Disallow remote root login – If you’re not explicitly opening ports to the world, don’t bother.
4. Delete test database – Old versions shipped a test schema that anyone could write to.
When prompted, answer “Y” to all for a locked‑down default configuration.
Verify the Installation
sudo systemctl status mariadb mysql -u root -p -e "SELECT VERSION();"
The first command confirms MariaDB is running. The second logs in and prints something like 10.6.12-MariaDB—the exact version depends on the repo you added.
(Optional) Add MariaDB to Your PATH
If you’re going to be using mysql a lot, consider adding /usr/bin/mariadb-client to your $PATH. Most systems already include it by default, but if you’ve had path conflicts with other MySQL binaries, this clears the air.
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin' >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc
Common Pitfall: Missing Library After a Kernel Upgrade
I ran into an issue on one of my servers after a recent kernel update: mysql started throwing “libmariadb.so.3 not found.” The fix was simply reinstalling the client package:
sudo dnf reinstall MariaDB-client
Reinstall pulls in any missing shared libraries that might have been dropped during the upgrade.
Keep MariaDB Up to Date
sudo dnf update --refresh MariaDB-server
Running dnf update on just the server package ensures you stay on the latest patch level without pulling unrelated packages into your system. It’s a good idea to set up a cron job or use systemctl enable dnf-automatic if you want unattended updates.
Wrap‑up
That’s it: MariaDB is installed, secured, and primed for production workloads on AlmaLinux 9. You’ve sidestepped the older MySQL repo, avoided the “no such package” errors that plague many newbies, and got a clean install ready to go.
