Determine whether MySQL runs and is supported on your platform.

Please note that not all platforms are equally suitable for running MySQL, and that not all platforms on which MySQL is known to run are officially supported by Oracle Corporation:

Choose which distribution to install.

Several versions of MySQL are available, and most are available in several distribution formats. You can choose from pre-packaged distributions containing binary (precompiled) programs or source code. When in doubt, use a binary distribution. We also provide public access to our current source tree for those who want to see our most recent developments and help us test new code. To determine which version and type of distribution you should use, see Section 2.1.2, “Choosing Which MySQL Distribution to Install”.

Download the distribution that you want to install.

For instructions, see Section 2.1.3, “How to Get MySQL”. To verify the integrity of the distribution, use the instructions in Section 2.1.4, “Verifying Package Integrity Using MD5 Checksums or GnuPG”.

Install the distribution.

To install MySQL from a binary distribution, use the instructions in Section 2.2, “Installing MySQL from Generic Binaries on Unix/Linux”.

To install MySQL from a source distribution or from the current development source tree, use the instructions in Section 2.10, “Installing MySQL from Source”.

Perform any necessary postinstallation setup.

After installing MySQL, read Section 2.11, “Postinstallation Setup and Testing”. This section contains important information about making sure the MySQL server is working properly. It also describes how to secure the initial MySQL user accounts, which have no passwords until you assign passwords. The section applies whether you install MySQL using a binary or source distribution.

If you want to run the MySQL benchmark scripts, Perl support for MySQL must be available. See Section 2.14, “Perl Installation Notes”.