Grant Permissions to a MySQL User on Linux via Command Line

After an administrator creates a MySQL user via the command line on Linux, the next step is to grant permissions to that user. The goal is to ensure that the user is able to log in and access the MySQL server to perform tasks. This article shows you how to grant permissions to a MySQL user on Linux via the command line.

Prerequisites

• A server running CentOS or AlmaLinux.
• Root access and log in as the root user.
• Access to the terminal.
• Basic command line knowledge.

How to Grant Permissions to a MySQL User on Linux via Command Line

Step 1: Access the MySQL Server

Open a terminal to access the MySQL server from the command line using the following command. It specifies the root user with the -u flag. The -p flag makes MySQL prompt for a password. Enter your current password to complete the login.

mysql -u root -p

The system presents the MySQL prompt. From here, you can change a password for MySQL via the command line for the root or any other user in the database here.

mysql>

Step 2: Grant Permissions to MySQL User

Below is the basic syntax for granting user permissions.

GRANT permission ON database.table TO 'user'@'localhost';

Here is a short list of commonly used permissions:

• ALL - Allows complete access to a specific database. If a database is not specified, it allows complete access to the entirety of MySQL.
• CREATE - Allow a user to create databases and tables.
• DELETE - Allow a user to delete rows from a table.
• DROP - Allow a user to drop databases and tables.
• EXECUTE - Allow a user to execute stored routines.
• GRANT OPTION - Allow a user to grant or remove another user's privileges.
• INSERT - Allow a user to insert rows from a table.
• SELECT - Allow a user to select data from a database.
• SHOW DATABASES- Allow a user to view a list of all databases.
• UPDATE - Allow a user to update rows in a table.

Using an asterisk (*) in the place of database or table is a completely valid option, as it implies all databases or all tables. To grant CREATE permissions for all databases and tables to the user, testuser, use the following command.

GRANT CREATE ON *.* TO 'testuser'@'localhost';

To grant testuser the ability to drop tables in the database called tutorial_database, use the DROP permission.

GRANT DROP ON tutorial_database.* TO 'testuser'@'localhost';

When you finish making your permission changes, it’s best practice to reload all the privileges with the flush command.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 3: Confirm Grantted Permissions for the MySQL User

After granting permissions to a MySQL user, confirm them with the following command. For this tutorial, the command checks the permissions for testuser.

SHOW GRANTS FOR 'testuser'@'localhost';

Wrapping Up

Knowing how to grant permissions to a MySQL user on Linux via command line helps administrators complete this task right from the terminal. Those that prefer the terminal over another interface do well to add this tool to their arsenal.

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