MySQL Development Setup – macOS Apple Silicon (ARM)

1. Download

For Mac Apple Silicon (ARM64), download MySQL from the official MySQL website:

MySQL Community Downloads – macOS ARM64

Required components:

• MySQL Community Server – Database server
• MySQL Workbench – Database management and development tool
• MySQL Shell – Optional, useful for advanced MySQL administration

2. MySQL Server Installation

Install the downloaded MySQL Server .dmg package.

After installation, verify the MySQL binary:

ls -l /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql

Expected:

/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql

3. Configure MySQL PATH

The MySQL binary may not automatically be available from the terminal.

zsh

macOS normally uses zsh:

echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Bash

For Bash:

echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

Also add it to .bashrc if required:

echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

4. Verify MySQL Installation

Check the MySQL client:

which mysql

Expected:

/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql

Check the version:

mysql --version

Example:

mysql  Ver 8.x.x for macos...

5. Connect to MySQL

Connect using the root account:

mysql -u root -p

Enter the MySQL root password configured during installation.

After successful login:

SELECT VERSION();

6. Check MySQL Server Status

The MySQL installer normally installs MySQL as a macOS service.

Check the process:

ps aux | grep mysqld

You can also check MySQL from:

System Settings → MySQL

From there, you can start or stop the MySQL server.

7. MySQL Workbench

Install MySQL Workbench for the graphical database management interface.

Create a local connection with:

Connection Name: Local MySQL
Hostname:        127.0.0.1
Port:             3306
Username:        root
Password:        <your MySQL password>

Then test the connection.

CLI connection

mysql -u root -p

Workbench connection

MySQL Workbench
        ↓
Local MySQL
        ↓
127.0.0.1:3306
        ↓
root

8. Create a Development Database

After connecting:

CREATE DATABASE dev_database;

Check databases:

SHOW DATABASES;

Select the database:

USE dev_database;

9. Create a Development User

For application development, it is better to use a separate database user instead of using root.

CREATE USER 'devuser'@'localhost'
IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword';

Grant access:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON dev_database.*
TO 'devuser'@'localhost';

Apply privileges:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Test:

mysql -u devuser -p dev_database

10. Useful MySQL Commands

Check databases:

SHOW DATABASES;

Select database:

USE dev_database;

List tables:

SHOW TABLES;

Check table structure:

DESCRIBE table_name;

Check current user:

SELECT USER();

Check server version:

SELECT VERSION();

Exit MySQL:

EXIT;

11. MySQL Configuration Location

The MySQL installation is commonly located at:

/usr/local/mysql/

MySQL client:

/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql

MySQL configuration may be located at:

/etc/my.cnf

or:

/usr/local/mysql/etc/my.cnf

The exact configuration location can vary depending on the MySQL version and installation method.

12. Development Environment Summary

Component	Purpose
MySQL Community Server	Runs the local MySQL database
MySQL Workbench	GUI for database development and administration
MySQL Client	Terminal-based database access
MySQL Shell	Advanced MySQL administration
Port 3306	Default MySQL port
/usr/local/mysql/bin	MySQL command-line binaries

Quick verification

Run:

which mysql
mysql --version
mysql -u root -p

For a working local development environment, all three commands should work successfully.