Show (List) MySQL Databases on Linux via Command Line
Pre-Flight Check
- These instructions are intended for showing (listing) all MySQL databases via the command line.
- I’ll be working from a Liquid Web Core Managed CentOS 7 server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

Login to MySQL
First we’ll login to the MySQL server from the command line with the following command:
mysql -u root -p
In this case, I’ve specified the user root with the -u flag, and then used the -p flag so MySQL prompts for a password. Enter your current root password to complete the login.
If you need to change your root (or any other) password in the database, then follow this tutorial on changing a password for MySQL via the command line.
You should now be at a MySQL prompt that looks very similar to:
mysql>
or
MariaDB [(none)]>
Show (View) All MySQL Databases
To view the database you’ve created simply issue the following command:
SHOW DATABASES;
Your result should be similar to this:
mysql> SHOW DATABASES;
+--------------------+
| Database |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql |
| test |
+--------------------+
4 rows in set (0.00 sec)
Would you like to create a new database? Check out our tutorial: Create a MySQL Database on Linux via Command Line
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About the Author: Justin Palmer
Justin Palmer is a professional application developer with Liquid Web
Our Sales and Support teams are available 24 hours by phone or e-mail to assist.
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