How to Find Out Your MySQL Port Number?

Published on: 18/11/2022 | Updated on: October 24, 2024

How to actually get MySQL Port Number? With 45% of companies experiencing a data breach in the past year, it is no wonder that most organizations are feeling overwhelmed. The numbers indicate hackers will continue targeting the business’s weak spots for profit. Therefore, companies must ensure their IT infrastructure improves enough to withstand attacks.

If running a MySQL server, it’s important to be aware of the security risks involved. One potential problem is that your MySQL port number is exposed to the world. Anyone who knows your IP address can connect to your MySQL server on the port.

While this might not seem like a big deal, it can be quite dangerous. If someone manages to gain access to your MySQL server, they could potentially modify or delete important data. They could also use your server to launch attacks against other systems.

This guide will provide information on how to find out your MySQL port number so that you can secure it. It will also provide tips for strengthening your MySQL server security.

What Is MySQL Port Number?

MySQL is a free and open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It is the world’s most popular RDBMS, powering everything from small websites to some of the largest organizations in the world. The default MySQL port is 3306. This can be changed during installation or by editing the MySQL configuration file.

Changing the port number can be helpful if you need to run multiple MySQL instances on the same server. It can also be useful for security purposes, as it makes it more difficult for malicious users to guess which port your database is running on.

TCP/IP Port 3306: What Is This?

TCP port 3306 is the MYSQL default port. It is a popular open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) used by many web applications.

When you install MySQL, it creates a default user account with the username ‘root’ and no password. This user has full access to all databases on the MySQL server. It is, therefore, important to set a password for the root user after installation. To connect to a MySQL database from a remote host, you must open port 3306 in the firewall.

Applications using the TCP/IP port 3306

MySQL is a popular database management system using TCP/IP port 3306. MySQL is used by many applications, including:

• WordPress
• Joomla!
• Drupal

If these applications are running on your server, you will need to open port 3306 in your firewall.  To do this, firewall configuration file will need to be edited, as MySQL does not listen to remote connections by default. Therefore, you will have to take the following steps first:

• Sign in to the server and run the following command. This will tell you the location of the MySQL configuration file:

>mysql –help | grep “Default options” -A 1

Make edits to the configuration file

Find the line include [mysqld]

Type the ensuing code:

bind-address=YOUR.SERVER.IP

Make sure the term “YOUR.SERVER.IP” is replaced with your individual IP address.

OR

Write the following line:

bind-address = 0.0.0.0

Disable the section by commenting out the “skip-networking” line. You can do this by adding a # symbol in the front of the statement. Here’s what your script should look like:

—————————–

[mysqld]

bind-address = 0.0.0.0

# skip-networking

——————————

The first line shows that this is for the MySql daemon.

The second line informs MySql to bind to a network interface. Here, 0.0.0.0 refers to all interfaces.

The third query tells MySql to avoid skipping networking configuration routines.

If you want to implement the changes, restart the MySQL deamon. You can do this by running this command:

>systemctl restart mysqld

Once you have completed this process successfully, you can move on to the next stage of opening port 3306. To do this, take the following steps:

MySQL uses TCP 3306 port for external connections by default. So, you will have to open this port in the firewall through by using the following command:

>iptables -A INPUT -i eth0 -p tcp –destination-port 3306 -j ACCEPT

If you want to get access to a single IP, type the following script:

>iptables -A INPUT -i eth0 -s 19.5.1.3 -p tcp –destination-port 3306 -j ACCEPT

In this step, change 19.5.1.3 to your original IP address.

Now, save the iptables configuration. Enter the following statements:

>service iptables save
>firewall-cmd –zone=public –add-port=3306/tcp –permanent
>firewall-cmd –reload

Next, you will need to create a user who can take access from the remote machine. Type the following script:

CREATE USER ‘Username’@’11.11.11.11’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘password’;

Make sure to add your individual username, password, and the IP number of the MySQL server.

Now, you can assign access by:

> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO ‘username’@’11.11.11.11’ WITH GRANT OPTION;
> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
or
>GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO username@’%’;
> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
or
>GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON . TO root@’%’;
> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

After you have restarted the firewall, traffic on port 3306 will be allowed through.

How to Get MySQL Port Number Using GUI Client?

There are a few ways to determine the port it’s running on if you’re using a GUI client to access your MySQL database.

First, you can check the client’s settings. In most cases, the port will be listed in the connection settings. Another way to find the port is by using the MySQL command-line client. To do this, connect to your database using the MySQL client and run the following command:

SHOW VARIABLES WHERE Variable_name = ‘port’;

This will display the port that MySQL is running on. If you still have trouble finding the port, contact your hosting provider or database administrator for assistance. You can also use dbForge Studio for MySQL to make the process simple.

Summary

MySQL will assign a port number to each instance running on a server. This article has shown how to find out what that port number is so that you can properly configure your connection settings. The process is simple and only takes a few moments to complete. Once you have the port number, you can easily connect to your database.