WP Database CLI

Creating the WordPress database on an Arch Linux LAMP stack (using Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) is done through the MariaDB console. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Ensure MariaDB Service is Running

Before you can create a database, the MariaDB service must be running.

sudo systemctl start mariadb

If you haven't secured your MariaDB installation, it's highly recommended to run the security script:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

2. Access the MariaDB Console

Log into the MariaDB console as the root user. If you set a root password during the security installation, use the first command; otherwise, you might be able to use the second.

mysql -u root -p
# You will be prompted for the MariaDB root password.

OR

sudo mariadb
# This might work if your root user is authenticated via Unix socket.

3. Create the Database

Once you see the MariaDB [(none)]> prompt, run the following command to create your dedicated database. We'll name it wordpress_db.

CREATE DATABASE wordpress_db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Note: utf8mb4_unicode_ci is the recommended character set and collation for modern WordPress installations.

4. Create a Dedicated Database User

It's a security best practice to create a dedicated user for your WordPress site instead of using the MariaDB root user. Replace 'wpuser' and 'your_strong_password' with your desired username and a strong password.

CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_strong_password';

5. Grant Privileges

Now, grant the newly created user full privileges (read, write, etc.) on the new database.

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress_db.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost';

6. Apply Changes and Exit

Flush the privileges to ensure MariaDB reloads the permission tables, and then exit the console.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Summary of Credentials

Keep these credentials handy, as you will need to enter them into the wp-config.php file for your WordPress installation:

Setting	Value (Example)
Database Name (`DB_NAME`)	`wordpress_db`
Database User (`DB_USER`)	`wpuser`
Database Password (`DB_PASSWORD`)	`your_strong_password`
Database Host (`DB_HOST`)	`localhost`