MariaDB is an open-source relational database management system that serves as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. It is the default database in most Linux distributions and powers applications ranging from small projects to enterprise workloads.
This guide covers installing MariaDB 11.8 LTS on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 from the official MariaDB APT repository. Ubuntu’s default repositories ship older MariaDB versions (10.11 on 24.04, 10.6 on 22.04), but 11.8 is the latest Long Term Support release with community support until June 2028. The official MariaDB repo provides the same 11.8 packages for both Ubuntu versions.
Prerequisites
- A server running Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 LTS
- Root or sudo access
- Port 3306/TCP if you need remote database connections
Step 1: Update System Packages
Start by updating all system packages:
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgradeReboot if a kernel update was applied:
[ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -fStep 2: Add MariaDB 11.8 APT Repository
Ubuntu default repositories include older MariaDB versions. To install the latest LTS (11.8), add the official MariaDB repository.
Download the MariaDB signing key:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL -o /etc/apt/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.pgp https://mariadb.org/mariadb_release_signing_key.pgpAdd the MariaDB 11.8 repository. Use noble for Ubuntu 24.04 or jammy for Ubuntu 22.04:
For Ubuntu 24.04:
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.pgp] https://dlm.mariadb.com/repo/mariadb-server/11.8/repo/ubuntu noble main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mariadb.listFor Ubuntu 22.04:
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/mariadb-keyring.pgp] https://dlm.mariadb.com/repo/mariadb-server/11.8/repo/ubuntu jammy main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mariadb.listUpdate the package index to pull in packages from the new repository:
sudo apt updateConfirm that MariaDB 11.8 is now the candidate version:
apt policy mariadb-serverThe output should show MariaDB 11.8 from the official repo as the candidate. On Ubuntu 24.04 it looks like this (22.04 shows ubu2204 and jammy instead):
mariadb-server:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 1:11.8.6+maria~ubu2404
Version table:
1:11.8.6+maria~ubu2404 500
500 https://dlm.mariadb.com/repo/mariadb-server/11.8/repo/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
1:10.11.14-0ubuntu0.24.04.1 500
500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-updates/universe amd64 PackagesStep 3: Install MariaDB Server
Install both the server and client packages:
sudo apt install -y mariadb-server mariadb-clientMariaDB starts automatically after installation. Verify the service is running:
systemctl status mariadbThe output should show active (running) with the version confirmed in the status line:
● mariadb.service - MariaDB 11.8.6 database server
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/mariadb.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sat 2026-03-21 21:09:11 UTC; 17s ago
Docs: man:mariadbd(8)
https://mariadb.com/kb/en/library/systemd/
Main PID: 27168 (mariadbd)
Status: "Taking your SQL requests now..."
Tasks: 13 (limit: 15318)
Memory: 92.8M
CPU: 4.078s
CGroup: /system.slice/mariadb.service
└─27168 /usr/sbin/mariadbdConfirm the installed version from the command line:
mariadb --versionThe version string confirms MariaDB 11.8 is installed:
mariadb from 11.8.6-MariaDB, client 15.2 for debian-linux-gnu (x86_64) using EditLine wrapperStep 4: Secure MariaDB Installation
Run the security script to set a root password, remove anonymous users, disable remote root login, and drop the test database:
sudo mariadb-secure-installationAnswer the prompts as follows for a production setup:
Enter current password for root (enter for none): Press Enter
Switch to unix_socket authentication [Y/n] Y
Change the root password? [Y/n] Y
New password: Enter a strong password
Re-enter new password: Confirm password
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] YStep 5: Connect to MariaDB and Verify
Connect to the MariaDB shell. With unix_socket authentication enabled, the root system user can connect directly with sudo:
sudo mariadbCheck the server version from the SQL prompt:
MariaDB [(none)]> SELECT VERSION();
+-------------------------+
| VERSION() |
+-------------------------+
| 11.8.6-MariaDB-ubu2404 |
+-------------------------+
1 row in set (0.000 sec)On Ubuntu 22.04, the version string ends with ubu2204 instead. The MariaDB version (11.8.6) is the same on both.
Step 6: Basic MariaDB Usage
Here are the most common database operations you will need after installation.
Create a Database and User
sudo mariadbCreate a new database, a dedicated user with a password, and grant full privileges on that database:
MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE DATABASE appdb;
MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE USER 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Str0ngP@ss!';
MariaDB [(none)]> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON appdb.* TO 'appuser'@'localhost';
MariaDB [(none)]> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;Create a Table and Insert Data
Switch to the new database, create a table, and insert a row:
MariaDB [(none)]> USE appdb;
MariaDB [appdb]> CREATE TABLE users (id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(50), email VARCHAR(100));
MariaDB [appdb]> INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ('John Doe', '[email protected]');
MariaDB [appdb]> SELECT * FROM users;The query returns the inserted row:
+----+----------+------------------+
| id | name | email |
+----+----------+------------------+
| 1 | John Doe | [email protected] |
+----+----------+------------------+
1 row in set (0.000 sec)Type QUIT to exit the MariaDB prompt.
Step 7: Configure Remote Access (Optional)
By default, MariaDB listens only on 127.0.0.1. To allow connections from other servers, edit the server configuration file:
sudo vi /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnfFind the bind-address directive and change it to 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces, or set it to a specific IP:
[mysqld]
bind-address = 0.0.0.0Restart MariaDB to apply the change:
sudo systemctl restart mariadbVerify MariaDB is listening on all interfaces:
ss -tlnp | grep 3306The output should show 0.0.0.0:3306 instead of 127.0.0.1:3306:
LISTEN 0 80 0.0.0.0:3306 0.0.0.0:*Open the firewall port for remote connections:
sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp
sudo ufw reloadGrant access to the remote user. Replace 10.0.1.5 with the IP of the connecting server:
sudo mariadb -e "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON appdb.* TO 'appuser'@'10.0.1.5' IDENTIFIED BY 'Str0ngP@ss!'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"Conclusion
MariaDB 11.8 LTS is now running on your Ubuntu server from the official MariaDB repository. The server listens on port 3306 and is secured with mariadb-secure-installation.
For production use, set up MariaDB replication for high availability, configure automated backups with mariadb-dump or mariabackup, and consider enabling Prometheus monitoring for MariaDB to track query performance and resource usage.
