How to Start & Stop MySQL Server on Windows and Linux

MySQL server control is essential for managing databases in development and production environments.

• It helps manage database services.
• It controls server availability.
• It supports maintenance and troubleshooting.

MySQL Server Operations on Windows

There are three ways to start MySQL on Windows: using services.msc, Command Prompt (mysqld) and MySQL Workbench.

1. With Services.msc

Step 1: Open the Services tab by typing services.msc in the Windows Run dialog.

Step 2: Search for the MySQL service in the list.

Step 3: Click on the "Start" or "Restart" button to start the MySQL Server

2. Using Command Prompt:

• Step 1: Open the Command Prompt.
• Step 2: Type the command mysqld and hit Enter.

3. Using MySQL Workbench

Step 1: Open MySQL Workbench, which is included in the MySQL complete package. Go to the top menu bar and click on Server.

Step 2: Now Navigate to the "Startup/Shutdown" tab in the list

Step 4: In the window that appears, click Start Server if it's not already running.

Stopping the Server

There are three ways to stop MySQL on Windows:

1. Using services.msc:

You can stop the MySQL service the same way you started it, by accessing the Services tab and clicking "Stop."

2. Using mysqladmin:

Execute the following command in the Command Prompt:

mysqladmin -u <username> shutdown

3. Using MySQL Workbench:

Go to the "Startup/Shutdown" tab under the Administration section in MySQL Workbench and click "Stop" to shut down the server.

How to Start and Stop MySQL on Linux

MySQL server can be started using services.msc, mysqld, MySQL Workbench or sudo service mysqld start on Linux.

1. Using the Command Line:

• Step 1: Open the Linux terminal and navigate to the directory where mysqld is located.
• Step 2: Type the command:

mysqld start

2. Using the service command (specific Linux distributions):

• Step 1: Run the following command to start the MySQL service:

sudo service mysqld start

Stopping the Server:

1. Using the Command Line:

To stop the MySQL server, you can use either of the following commands:

mysqld stop

or

sudo service mysqld stop

2. Using mysqladmin:

You can also stop the server by running this command:

mysqladmin -u <username> shutdown

3. Using MySQL Workbench:

Step 1: In MySQL Workbench, click the Server menu on top.

Step 2: Click Startup/Shutdown from the drop-down.

Step 3: In the Startup/Shutdown tab, click Stop Server to stop the MySQL service