Since it is safe to assume that you have access to a browser, a computer, an electrical socket to plug in your computer, and a power plant or other source to generate the power available to your electrical socket, then the only remaining requirement to run MYSQL is a web server, which should already come with MYSQL installed if you anticipated this need.

In this tutorial we will learn how to create, populate, modify, update and delete a mysql database directly from the command line. There is an alternative method, and that is to use a GUI, such as phpMyAdmin. phpMyAdmin allows you to maintain MYSQL databases from your browser, with more clicking and less typing. (You can talk to your web host about your options if they do not support a MYSQL GUI.)

Another more popular method of maintaining a MYSQL database is by using PHP scripts on a website, where information can be gathered and stored in a database, then retreived/modified/updated as needed. You can learn more about this method from our PHP tutorial, but you will need to have a basic knowledge of MYSQL first, so let's continue.