How to set up a MariaDB on your Windows server

Want to install a database on your Windows VPS or dedicated server? MariaDB is a free, drop-in MySQL replacement and installs in a few minutes.

1Connect to Your Server

• Log in over Remote Desktop: see how to connect to your Windows server.

2Download MariaDB

• On the server, open a browser, go to mariadb.org/download and click the Download button.

3Run the Installer

• Open the downloaded installer.
• Click Next, accept the license terms and click Next again.
• Keep MariaDB Server selected in the feature list and click Next.

4Set the Root Password

• Enter a strong password for the database root user and tick the boxes as shown in the image.
• Click Next.

5Keep the Default Settings and Install

• Leave the service settings at their defaults, as shown below.
• Click Next, then Install.

Finished

Your database server is running and ready to be used by applications on the same machine, for example a game server hosted on the same VPS connecting to localhost.

Connecting from outside the server?

By default, all ports on a VibeGAMES server are closed from the outside, including MariaDB's port 3306. The safest way to reach the database remotely:

• Open your server's Whitelist tab in the dashboard and press Add IP to whitelist your own IP address. Whitelisted IPs get full access to your server, including port 3306.
• You also need to allow remote connections inside MariaDB itself (bind address and user permissions); see the MariaDB documentation for that part.

We advise against opening port 3306 to the whole internet.