Running MySQL with Docker on CentOS

Environment

CentOS 7.3 (64-bit)

Install Docker

1. Remove Old Versions

yum remove docker docker-common docker-selinux docker-engine

2. Set Up Docker Repository

2.1 Install Required Packages

yum install -y yum-utils device-mapper-persistent-data lvm2

2.2 Add Docker CE Stable Repository

yum-config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

3. Install Docker CE

3.1 Update yum Cache

yum makecache fast

3.2 Install Latest Docker CE

yum -y install docker-ce

3.3 (Optional) Install a Specific Version

yum list docker-ce.x86_64 --showduplicates | sort -r
yum install docker-ce-<VERSION>

4. Start Docker

systemctl start docker

5. Verify Installation

docker -v

6. Uninstall Docker (Optional)

yum remove docker-ce
rm -rf /var/lib/docker

Install Docker Compose

1. Download Docker Compose 1.14.0

curl -L https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.14.0/docker-compose-`uname -s`-`uname -m`   > /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

2. Make It Executable

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

3. Verify Version

docker-compose -v

Run MySQL with Docker

1. Pull Official MySQL Image

docker pull mysql:5.7.18

2. Start MySQL Container

docker run --name mysql_db   -p 3306:3306   -v /home/docker/mysql/logs:/data/logs/mysql   -v /home/docker/mysql/data:/var/lib/mysql   -v /home/docker/mysql/conf/:/etc/mysql/conf.d   -e MYSQL_DATABASE=opencart   -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=Ao@1234567890   -d mysql:5.7.18

Parameter Explanation

-p 3306:3306 – Port mapping
--name mysql_db – Container name
-v /home/docker/mysql/data:/var/lib/mysql – Persist MySQL data
-v /home/docker/mysql/conf/:/etc/mysql/conf.d – Custom configuration
-v /home/docker/mysql/logs:/data/logs/mysql – Persist logs
-e MYSQL_DATABASE=opencart – Initialize database
-e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=... – Set root password
-d – Run in detached mode

Official image docs: https://hub.docker.com/_/mysql/

Sample `my.cnf`

# Error log
log-error=/var/log/mysql/error.log

# General query log
general_log=ON
general_log_file=/var/log/mysql/mysql.log

# Slow query log
slow_query_log=on
long_query_time=2
slow_query_log_file=/var/log/mysql/slowquery.log

Note: Ensure log files exist and MySQL has write permissions, otherwise the container may fail to start.

Common Operations

View Logs

docker logs mysql_db

List Containers

docker ps
docker ps -a

Install MySQL Client

yum -y install mysql

Connect to MySQL

mysql -h 127.0.0.1 -uroot -p

Stop / Start Container

docker stop mysql_db
docker start mysql_db

Use MySQL from Another Container

docker run --name some-app --link mysql_db:mysql -d application-that-uses-mysql

Summary

Running MySQL in Docker provides:

Easy setup and teardown
Environment isolation
Persistent data via volumes

This approach works well for development and small production setups.