12.1.1 Accessing a Database

A database server can manage many different databases. We will discuss databases shortly. In addition, much like any remote resource, each database has an access control mechanism. A database server knows which user has what access right to which database. This is extremely important for security reasons.

Consequently, in order to access a database, a user must first log in. The client program for a user to access MySQL is mysql. To log in, a user named dbuser who wants access to a database named productinfo can log in as follows:

mysql productinfo -u dbuser -p

The -u option specifies the name of the user as dbuser, while the -p option indicates a password will be provided. Note that one can specify -psecret to specify that the password is secret in the command. However, supplying the password as a part of the command is considered extremely unsafe. If no password follows -p, the database client prompts for the password.

If everything goes well, you should see messages similar to the following:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 4866 to server version: 3.23.58-log

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

To exit the database client, type the following:

quit;

Note that all commands must end with either ; or \g.