Remote Root Access for MariaDB on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
Typically, when you install MySQL on Ubuntu, it asks you for a root password which you can then use to log into the database. It seems that MariaDB uses a plugin instead to authenticate the root user. This means that the only way to log into MariaDB by default as root is locally with sudo mysql -u root In order to give the root user a password and login the “traditional” way (which includes remote access via a tunnel) you have to do the following.
- Log into MariaDB as the Root user
sudo mysql -u root
- Disable the Auth Plugin
use mysql; update user set plugin='' where User='root';
- Create a password for the root user
grant all privileges on *.* to 'root'@'127.0.0.1' identified by '$STRONG_PASSWORD'; flush privileges;
- Restart MariaDB
sudo service mysql Restart
Thank you for reading! Share your thoughts with me on bluesky, mastodon, or via email.
Check out some more stuff to read down below.
Most popular posts this month
- My Custom Miniflux CSS Theme
- SQLite DB Migrations with PRAGMA user_version
- 2024
- Using cgit
- Making cgit Pretty
Recent Favorite Blog Posts
This is a collection of the last 8 posts that I bookmarked.
- Avi Alkalay: Uniqlo T-Shirt Bash Script Easter Egg from Fedora People
- Offline 23 hours a day from Derek Sivers blog
- Pluralistic: California can stop Larry Ellison from buying Warners (28 Feb 2026) from Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
- On Alliances from Smashing Frames
- Acting ethically in an imperfect world from Smashing Frames
- Diffusion of Responsibility from Smashing Frames
- My AI Adoption Journey from Mitchell Hashimoto
- Fedora Magazine: Contribute to Fedora 44 KDE and GNOME Test Days from Fedora People
Articles from blogs I follow around the net
Your Data Is Made Powerful By Context (so stop destroying it already)
In logs as in life, the relationships are the most important part. AI doesn't fix this. It makes it worse.
via charity.wtf March 9, 2026Not in My Back Forty!
Every Transport Project Worth Building Faced Protests. Canada's Alto High-Speed Rail Line is No Exception.
via High Speed March 9, 2026Pluralistic: Billionaires are a danger to themselves and (especially) us (09 Mar 2026)
Today's links Billionaires are a danger to themselves and (especially) us: A billionaire is a machine for producing policy failures at scale. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. Object permanence: Librarians Against DRM; Copyright maximalist MP i…
via Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow March 9, 2026Generated by openring