How to Enable Encryption in MySQL

How do I enable encryption in MySQL for secure ecommerce data?

Enable Encryption secures MySQL data in transit (TLS) and at rest (InnoDB tablespace encryption) by activating SSL parameters, rotating keys, and enforcing encrypted connections.

Description

Why enable encryption in MySQL?

Encryption protects sensitive customer, order, and payment data from network sniffing and disk theft. TLS secures traffic between clients and the server, while InnoDB tablespace encryption secures data files on disk.

How do I enable TLS (in-transit) encryption?

1) Generate server CA, certificate, and key.
2) Add ssl_ca, ssl_cert, and ssl_key paths in my.cnf.
3) Set require_secure_transport = ON and restart MySQL.
4) Re-create or alter users with REQUIRE SSL.

Quick TLS test

Run SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'have_ssl'; then connect with mysql --ssl-mode=REQUIRED to verify encryption.

How do I encrypt data at rest (InnoDB)?

1) Enable file-per-table: innodb_file_per_table = ON.
2) Turn on tablespace encryption: innodb_encrypt_tables = ON and innodb_encrypt_log = ON.
3) Restart MySQL, then issue ALTER INSTANCE ROTATE INNODB MASTER KEY;.

Encrypt existing ecommerce tables

ALTER TABLE Orders ENCRYPTION='Y'; encrypts historical order data without changing application code.

When should I rotate master keys?

Rotate keys after employee turnover, certificate expiry, or policy changes. Use ALTER INSTANCE ROTATE INNODB MASTER KEY; during a low-traffic window and back up keys immediately.

Best practices for encrypted MySQL deployments

• Store certificates and master keys on encrypted volumes.
• Monitor ERROR log for SSL or key-ring errors.
• Automate certificate renewal with cron and SET PERSIST require_secure_transport = ON;.

Can I force all ecommerce users to use SSL?

Yes. Define users like CREATE USER 'checkout'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '•••' REQUIRE SSL;. Add --ssl-mode=REQUIRED in application connection strings.

Is performance impacted?

TLS adds ~1–3 ms handshake overhead. InnoDB encryption costs ~3–5% CPU. Modern CPUs with AES-NI minimize impact.

Why How to Enable Encryption in MySQL is important