How to delete or remove a MySQL/MariaDB user account on Linux or Unix

I

created a MySQL / MariaDB user account using this page. Now, I have deleted my wordpress blog and I want to delete that user account including database too. How do I delete or remove a MySQL or MariaDB user account on Linux or Unix-like system using mysql command line option?

 

Both MySQL and MariaDB is an open source database management system. In this quick tutorial, you will learn how to delete ore remove user account in MySQL or MariaDB database on Linux or Unix-like system.

Warning: Backup your database before you type any one of the following command.

Step 1 – Steps for removing a MySQL/MariaDB user

If you decided to remove open source application such as WordPress or Drupal you need to remove that user account. You need to remove all permissions/grants, and delete the user from the MySQL table. First, login as mysql root user to the MySQL/MariaDB server using the shell, run:

$ mysql -u root -p mysql

 

OR

$ mysql -u root -h server-name-here -p mysql

 

Sample outputs:

Fig.01: The MySQL/MariaDB shell

Step 2 – List all mysql users

Once you have a MySQL or MariaDB prompt that looks very similar to fig.01, type the following command at mysql> or mariadb> prompt to see a list of MySQL/MariaDB users:

mariadb> SELECT User,Host FROM mysql.user;

 

Sample outputs:

Fig.02: How to see/get a list of MySQL/MariaDB users accounts

 

In this above example, I need to delete a mysql user named ‘bloguser’@’localhost’.

Step 3 – List grants for a mysql user

To see what grants bloguser have, enter:

mariadb> SHOW GRANTS FOR  bloguser @ localhost ;

 

Sample outputs:

Fig.03: Display user grants

 

Where,

bloguser – Mysql/Maridb user name

localhost – Mysql/Mariadb host name

mywpblog – Database name

Step 4 – Revoke all grants for a mysql user

Type the following sql command:

mariadb> REVOKE ALL PRIVILEGES, GRANT OPTION FROM  bloguser @ localhost ;

 

Sample outputs:

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

Step 5 – Remove/Delete the user from the user table

Type the following sql command:

mariadb> DROP USER  bloguser @ localhost ;

 

Sample outputs:

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

Step 6 – Delete the database

Type the following command:

mariadb> DROP DATABASE mywpblog;

 

Sample outputs:

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

And there you have it. A MySQL/MariaDB user deleted or removed from the server on Unix or Linux via command line option.