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How to Install the Dokku MariaDB Plugin

Install the official Dokku MariaDB plugin on Dokku 0.19+, create a MariaDB service, link it to your app, and understand the DATABASE_URL it creates.
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Install the official plugin on the Dokku host with sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb. This syntax is documented for Dokku 0.19 and later. After installation, create a MariaDB service with dokku mariadb:create <service-name>, then connect it to an app with dokku mariadb:link <service-name> <app-name>. Linking supplies the app with a DATABASE_URL in the form service://user:pass@host:port/db_name.

What the Dokku MariaDB plugin provides

Dokku does not treat a database service and an application connection as the same operation. The MariaDB plugin adds commands for managing a MariaDB service, while the link command connects that service to a specific Dokku app. You must complete both stages before the app receives its database connection variable.

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Use the maintained repository at github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb rather than copying a command from an old tutorial or an unverified fork. The official installation command uses Dokku’s plugin:install mechanism and names the installed plugin mariadb.

Before you install

  • Run the commands on the Dokku host. The commands install a server-side Dokku plugin; running them on a developer workstation will not install it on your deployment server.
  • Use an account with administrative privileges. The installation example uses sudo.
  • Use Dokku 0.19 or later. The documented command applies to that release line and newer versions are not independently established here, so check the current plugin README against your installed Dokku release before proceeding.
  • Know the Dokku app name. You need the exact app identifier for the later link step.
  • Choose a service name. This is the name used in every subsequent mariadb:create and mariadb:link command.

Install the official plugin

  1. Open a shell on the Dokku server.
  2. Run the official installation command:
    sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb
  3. Wait for the command to finish before attempting any dokku mariadb: command. The final argument, mariadb, is the plugin name that appears in the service commands.

The repository URL and command syntax matter. Older instructions may show a different installation method, such as cloning a repository directly into Dokku’s plugins directory. That is not the install form documented for Dokku 0.19 and later.

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Create a MariaDB service

Installing the plugin only adds its commands. It does not create a database service. Create one with:

dokku mariadb:create <service-name>

Replace <service-name> with a stable name, such as bloggerdb:

dokku mariadb:create bloggerdb

The official command also documents an optional --create-flags argument. Use that only when you have a specific creation flag supported by the current README and your deployment requires it; do not copy an old flag from a different fork or MariaDB image.

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Choose a service name deliberately

The service name is the identifier you will pass to the link command. A descriptive, application-oriented name makes it easier to distinguish several databases on one Dokku host. The name is not the same thing as the Dokku app name: a service called bloggerdb can be linked to an app called blogger.

MariaDB version awareness

The official README currently reports a default MariaDB version of 11.3.2. This is a volatile default and may change, so verify the version in the README at the time you create a service. Treat that number as the repository’s documented default, not as a permanent promise for every future plugin release.

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Link the service to your Dokku app

Once the service exists, connect it to the application:

dokku mariadb:link <service-name> <app-name>

For the example service and app:

dokku mariadb:link bloggerdb blogger

The order is significant: the service name comes first and the app name second. Linking is a separate operation from creation; creating a service alone does not attach it to an app.

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What linking gives the app

The link operation creates a DATABASE_URL variable for the app. Its documented shape is:

service://user:pass@host:port/db_name

The value contains the connection scheme, credentials, host, port, and database name generated for the service. Configure your application to read DATABASE_URL rather than embedding a database address in source code. Because the value includes a username and password, treat it as a secret: do not paste it into public issue reports, commit it to a repository, or include it in screenshots.

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Complete installation example

The following sequence uses the sample names from the documented walkthrough:

  1. Install the plugin:
    sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb
  2. Create the service:
    dokku mariadb:create bloggerdb
  3. Link the service to the app:
    dokku mariadb:link bloggerdb blogger
  4. Confirm the app configuration. The app should now have a DATABASE_URL whose structure is service://user:pass@host:port/db_name.

For a different application, replace both names consistently. For example, if your app is named arcade-api and your service is named arcade-db, the relevant commands are:

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dokku mariadb:create arcade-db
dokku mariadb:link arcade-db arcade-api

Do not substitute the app name first in the link command; the documented syntax is always service followed by app.

Command reference

Command Purpose Required values
sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb Installs the official MariaDB plugin on the Dokku host. Dokku 0.19 or later; administrative access.
dokku mariadb:create <service-name> Creates a MariaDB service. A service name; optional --create-flags is documented.
dokku mariadb:link <service-name> <app-name> Connects the service to an app. An existing service name and the exact Dokku app name.

Troubleshooting the installation sequence

The plugin installation command is rejected

First confirm that you are running the command on the Dokku host with the necessary administrative privileges. Then verify that the host meets the documented Dokku 0.19-or-later requirement. Check that the repository URL is exactly:

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https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git

Do not replace plugin:install with a direct clone command taken from an older article or a fork. The official repository’s installation form is the one shown above.

dokku mariadb:create is unavailable

This usually means the MariaDB plugin was not installed successfully, or the command was run against a Dokku installation different from the one where the plugin was installed. Return to the plugin-install step and use the official repository and plugin name. If the install completed but the command remains unavailable, consult the current repository README for release-specific compatibility information.

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Service creation works but linking fails

Check the spelling and order of both arguments. The first value must be the service created with mariadb:create; the second must be the target app. A service called bloggerdb must therefore be linked with:

dokku mariadb:link bloggerdb blogger

Also verify that the service-creation step completed before you attempted to link it.

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The app does not show DATABASE_URL

Creation and linking are separate. Recheck that you ran mariadb:link after creating the service and that the app name is exact. A successful link is the operation that supplies the variable. The expected value has the documented service://user:pass@host:port/db_name structure; if your application expects a different variable name, configure the application to consume DATABASE_URL or map it within the app’s own configuration.

You followed a fork’s instructions

Several forks documented a different workflow, including cloning into Dokku’s plugins directory. Those instructions are not interchangeable with the official plugin:install flow. Remove the ambiguity by using the official repository and the three commands in this guide. Fork maintenance and compatibility are not established here, so they are poor defaults for a new installation.

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Official plugin versus old installation syntax

An older 2015 article predates the current installation syntax and should not be used as the authority for installing this plugin. The relevant distinction is:

Approach Use for a new installation? Why
Official repository with dokku plugin:install Yes Documented installation form for Dokku 0.19 and later.
Direct clone into the plugins directory No, unless the current official documentation specifically requires it Used by an ohardy fork and older instructions, not the official command documented here.

What this procedure does not cover

The installation sequence establishes the plugin, creates a service, links it to an app, and provides DATABASE_URL. It does not by itself document backup, restore, upgrade, migration, or uninstall procedures. Those operations can depend on the plugin and Dokku releases in use; consult the current official README before performing them in production. Likewise, the default MariaDB version should be checked again whenever you install or recreate a service because the README’s stated default can change.

Final checklist

  • Dokku host is running a release covered by the documented 0.19-or-later syntax.
  • The official repository was installed with sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb.
  • A service was created with dokku mariadb:create <service-name>.
  • The service was linked with dokku mariadb:link <service-name> <app-name>.
  • The app receives a DATABASE_URL in the documented service://user:pass@host:port/db_name format.
  • The MariaDB default shown in the current README was checked before relying on version 11.3.2.

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