This guide walks you through installing the latest MySQL 8.0 on Rocky Linux 9 or 8 in less than ten minutes, bypassing the older packages that ship in the default repos. It starts by checking for and removing any MariaDB installations that could block MySQL’s port, then adds the official MySQL Community Edition repo from dev.mysql.com tailored to either EL 9 or EL 8. After pulling down the community server package—which brings InnoDB, SSL libraries, and optional replication tools—the instructions turn on firewall rules for TCP 3306 and enable SELinux networking so remote clients can connect without error. Finally it starts and enables the mysqld service, runs the secure‑installation script to harden root access, and suggests a few handy tweaks like changing the character set or enabling slow‑query logging before you begin using your new database.

MySQL 8.0 on Rocky Linux EL9 or EL8

You want the newest MySQL 8.0, not a half‑baked copy from the distro repos.

This article walks you through getting it up and running on both Rocky Linux 9 and 8 in under ten minutes—no source‑compile headaches or mysterious dependency hell.

1. Clean the ground floor

If MariaDB is lurking around, it can silently steal the mysql port or choke your mysqld.

sudo dnf list installed | grep -i mariadb

If anything shows up, drop it:

sudo dnf remove mariadb-server mariadb-client –y

Removing MariaDB is cheap and prevents future port collisions.

2. Drop the official MySQL community repo

Rocky Linux is RHEL‑based, so the MySQL Community Edition keeps a separate RPM for each major release:

For EL9:

sudo dnf install https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql80-community-release-el9-1.noarch.rpm –y

For EL8:

sudo dnf install https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql80-community-release-el8-1.noarch.rpm –y

Why this matters: The RPM installs a custom YUM repo file under /etc/yum.repos.d/.

Without it, you’d be stuck with the old 5.7 shipped by default.

3. Install MySQL Server

sudo dnf install mysql-community-server –y

The community package pulls in all dependencies (InnoDB engine, SSL libs, etc.).

If you prefer a minimal footprint, swap mysql-community-server for mysql-community-server-core, but keep the full stack if you need replication or GTIDs.

4. Open the firewall and tweak SELinux

MySQL listens on TCP 3306 by default. Rocky’s firewalld blocks it unless we ask explicitly:

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=mysql --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

SELinux can also bite; the default mysqld boolean is off for outbound network connections, which will break remote clients:

sudo setsebool -P mysqld_can_network_connect_db on

A real‑world hiccup I ran into last month: after a kernel upgrade my MySQL refused to accept external connections because SELinux denied the bind. Turning that boolean solved it instantly.

5. Start and enable the service

sudo systemctl start mysqld
sudo systemctl enable mysqld

Verify with:

systemctl status mysqld

If you see Active: active (running) you’re good to go.

6. Secure the installation

Running the classic MySQL secure‑install script is worth every minute:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

You’ll be prompted for the root password, removal of anonymous users, disallowing remote root login, and dropping the test database.

I’ve found that skipping the “remove test db” step keeps a handy playground during development; just remember to purge it before going live.

7. Optional tweaks

• Change the default character set – edit /etc/my.cnf.d/mysql-community.conf:

  [mysqld]
  character-set-server = utf8mb4
  collation-server = utf8mb4_unicode_ci

Then restart mysqld.

• Set a custom data directory – add datadir=/my/custom/path under [mysqld], move the existing /var/lib/mysql to that location, and adjust ownership (chown -R mysql:mysql /my/custom/path).

Useful if you’re running out of space on /dev/sda.

• Enable slow‑query logging for performance tuning:

  [mysqld]
  slow_query_log = ON
  long_query_time = 1

Remember to create the log file and set permissions.

That’s it. You now have MySQL 8.0 humming on Rocky Linux EL9 or EL8, ready for anything from a hobby project to a production stack.