Docker with MySQL

Running MySQL inside Docker allows you to run a database without installing MySQL directly on your machine — perfect for development and production.

Run MySQL Container (Quick Start)

docker run -d 
  --name my-mysql 
  -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secret 
  -e MYSQL_DATABASE=mydb 
  -e MYSQL_USER=dbuser 
  -e MYSQL_PASSWORD=dbpass 
  -p 3306:3306 
  -v mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql 
  mysql:8.0

Connect to MySQL Inside Container

docker exec -it my-mysql mysql -u root -p
# Enter password: secret

Inside MySQL shell:

SHOW DATABASES;
USE mydb;
CREATE TABLE users (id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(100));
INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ("Online Learner");
SELECT * FROM users;

MySQL with Docker Compose

version: "3.9"
services:
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: mysql-db
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: secret
      MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp_db
      MYSQL_USER: appuser
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: apppass
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"
    volumes:
      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql

  phpmyadmin:
    image: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
    environment:
      PMA_HOST: mysql
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: secret
    ports:
      - "8081:80"

volumes:
  mysql-data:

docker compose up -d

Access phpMyAdmin at http://localhost:8081 with username root and password secret.

Import a SQL File

docker cp database.sql my-mysql:/database.sql
docker exec -it my-mysql mysql -u root -p mydb < /database.sql

# Or pipe directly
docker exec -i my-mysql mysql -u root -psecret mydb < database.sql

Export (Dump) MySQL Database

docker exec my-mysql mysqldump -u root -psecret mydb > backup.sql

Summary

• Use MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD, MYSQL_DATABASE env vars to configure MySQL container
• Mount a named volume to persist database data across container restarts
• Use phpMyAdmin container as a GUI for database management
• Import and export databases using docker exec and mysqldump