In this guide, we will do the installation and usage of mycli on Ubuntu 22.04|20.04|18.04 Linux systems. Mycli is a MySQL terminal client written in Python and Python Prompt Toolkit library with AutoCompletion and Syntax Highlighting. It works with MySQL, MariaDB, and Percona database servers.
mycli exist to help you write complex queries easily and faster without the hassle of having to remember the whole query syntax. It uses REPL (Read, Eval, Print, Loop) which pop up suggestion menu as soon as you start typing.
Features of mycli
Here is the complete list of mycli features as listed in the official website.
- Auto-completion as you type for SQL keywords as well as tables, views, and columns in the database.
- Syntax highlighting using Pygments.
- Smart-completion (enabled by default) will suggest context-sensitive completion.
SELECT * FROM <tab>will only show table names.SELECT * FROM users WHERE <tab>will only show column names.
- Support for multiline queries.
- Favorite queries with optional positional parameters. Save a query using
\fs alias queryand execute it with\f aliaswhenever you need. - The timing of sql statements and table rendering.
- Config file is automatically created at
~/.myclircon the first launch. - Log every query and its results to a file (disabled by default).
- Pretty prints tabular data (with colors!)
- Support for SSL connections
Installing mycli on Ubuntu 22.04|20.04|18.04
mycli can be installed using pip python package manager or from apt repository.
Install mycli from apt repository
sudo apt update
sudo apt install mycliInstalling mycli using pip:
# Python 3
sudo apt install python3-pip
sudo pip3 install mycli
# Python 2
sudo apt install python-pip
sudo pip install myclior install mycli using easy_install
sudo easy_install mycli
Using mycli MySQL Client Autocompletion tool
Note that the suggestions are context sensitive based on the position of the cursor. eg: Only tables are suggested after the FROM keyword, only column names are suggested after the WHERE clause.
With Smart Completion ON, Only table names from the current database are suggested after the FROM keyword and Column names from the current table are suggested after the WHERE clause.
To view usage man page, use the command:
$ mycli --help
Usage: mycli [OPTIONS] [DATABASE]
A MySQL terminal client with auto-completion and syntax highlighting.
Examples:
- mycli my_database
- mycli -u my_user -h my_host.com my_database
- mycli mysql://my_user@my_host.com:3306/my_database
Options:
-h, --host TEXT Host address of the database.
-P, --port INTEGER Port number to use for connection. Honors
$MYSQL_TCP_PORT.
-u, --user TEXT User name to connect to the database.
-S, --socket TEXT The socket file to use for connection.
-p, --password TEXT Password to connect to the database.
--pass TEXT Password to connect to the database.
--ssh-user TEXT User name to connect to ssh server.
--ssh-host TEXT Host name to connect to ssh server.
--ssh-port INTEGER Port to connect to ssh server.
--ssh-password TEXT Password to connect to ssh server.
--ssh-key-filename TEXT Private key filename (identify file) for the
ssh connection.
--ssl-ca PATH CA file in PEM format.
--ssl-capath TEXT CA directory.
--ssl-cert PATH X509 cert in PEM format.
--ssl-key PATH X509 key in PEM format.
--ssl-cipher TEXT SSL cipher to use.
--ssl-verify-server-cert Verify server's "Common Name" in its cert
against hostname used when connecting. This
option is disabled by default.
-V, --version Output mycli's version.
-v, --verbose Verbose output.
-D, --database TEXT Database to use.
-d, --dsn TEXT Use DSN configured into the [alias_dsn]
section of myclirc file.
--list-dsn list of DSN configured into the [alias_dsn]
section of myclirc file.
-R, --prompt TEXT Prompt format (Default: "\t \u@\h:\d> ").
-l, --logfile FILENAME Log every query and its results to a file.
--defaults-group-suffix TEXT Read MySQL config groups with the specified
suffix.
--defaults-file PATH Only read MySQL options from the given file.
--myclirc PATH Location of myclirc file.
--auto-vertical-output Automatically switch to vertical output mode
if the result is wider than the terminal
width.
-t, --table Display batch output in table format.
--csv Display batch output in CSV format.
--warn / --no-warn Warn before running a destructive query.
--local-infile BOOLEAN Enable/disable LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE.
--login-path TEXT Read this path from the login file.
-e, --execute TEXT Execute command and quit.
--help Show this message and exit.See below example which connect to the local MariaDB database server as a root user:
$ mycli -h localhost -u root -p
Connecting to socket /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock, owned by user mysql
Password:
MariaDB 10.6.7
mycli 1.24.3
Home: http://mycli.net
Bug tracker: https://github.com/dbcli/mycli/issues
Thanks to the contributor - Jakub Boukal
MariaDB root@localhost:(none)>
Typing SHOW and space shows valid options
If you switch to a database and type SELECT * FROM followed by <tab>, all options listed should be for the tables in the current database, and WHERE <tab> will only show column names.
For more information on using and configuring mycli, check the official documentation.
Best Udemy Video Courses to Learn MySQL / MariaDB Databases:
- The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp: Go from SQL Beginner to Expert
- SQL – MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence
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