How To Show List All Databases on MySQL

In this tutorial, we will show you how to show list all databases on the MySQL Linux system. For those of you who didn’t know, MySQL is the most popular open-source relational database management system. The MySQL source code is freely available because it was originally developed as freeware. MySQL is written in C and C++ and is compatible with all major operating systems. MySQL can be used for a variety of applications but is most commonly found on the popular LAMP and LEMP stacks.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step show list of MySQL databases on Linux.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, 16.04, and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Show List All Databases on MySQL

Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt commands in the terminal.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2. Show List All Databases on MySQL

To show databases in MySQL, you will need to log in to MySQL/MariaDB shell with the root user as shown below:

$ mysql –u username –p

Enter password:
Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 3
Server version: 5.8.64-MySQL-ubuntu0.20.04 (Ubuntu)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle, MariaDB Corporation Ab and others.
Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.
MariaDB [(none)]>

From within the MySQL shell execute the following command:

MySQL [(none)]> show databases;

Output:

+--------------------+
| Database |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| drupal |
| magento |
| mysql |
| owncloud |
| performance_schema |
| wordpressdatabase |
+--------------------+
7 rows in set (0.01 sec)

Next, if you want to use a specific database and list all tables in it, you can use the following commands:

MySQL [(none)]> use mysql;

Next, list available tables with the following command:

MySQL [mysql]> show tables;

Output:

+---------------------------+
| Tables_in_mysql |
+---------------------------+
| columns_priv |
| db |
| event |
| func |
| general_log |
| help_category |
| help_keyword |
| help_relation |
| help_topic |
| host |
| ndb_binlog_index |
| plugin |
| proc |
| procs_priv |
| proxies_priv |
| servers |
| slow_log |
| tables_priv |
| time_zone |
| time_zone_leap_second |
| time_zone_name |
| time_zone_transition |
| time_zone_transition_type |
| user |
+---------------------------+

If you want to find out about the structure of a specific table you can use the DESCRIBE statement in MySQL:

MySQL [(none)]> DESCRIBE user;

Step 3. Best Practices and Considerations.

1. Fortify Security: Ensure robust passwords for MySQL to safeguard your databases from unauthorized access.
2. Backup Priorities: Before undertaking any database actions, create backups to mitigate potential data loss.
3. Efficiency Boost: Employ aliases and shortcuts for swift database navigation and management.

Step 4. Troubleshooting and Common Errors.

1. Access Denied: If you encounter an “Access Denied” error, verify your credentials and permissions.
2. Command Not Found: If MySQL isn’t recognized, ensure it’s properly installed on your Linux system.
3. Blank Output: A blank output might indicate no databases or an issue with MySQL. Double-check your connection.

Step 5. Advanced Techniques.

1. Custom Queries: Craft targeted SQL queries to extract specific data for advanced SEO analysis.
2. Data Aggregation: Utilize SQL’s aggregate functions to gather and process SEO-related data.

Congratulations! You have successfully shown all databases MySQL. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the MySQL server in Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official MySQL website.