How to Set Up MariaDB on Azure

Why choose Azure Database for MariaDB?

Azure provides a fully managed MariaDB service with automatic backups, built-in high availability, and scaling in minutes. Engineers avoid patching and focus on schema design and queries.

How do I provision a MariaDB server?

Use the Azure CLI az mariadb server create command. Supply resource group, server name, admin credentials, compute tier, storage size, and version.Creation finishes in 2–3 minutes.

What is the exact CLI syntax?

az mariadb server create \
--resource-group <rg> \
--name <server-name> \
--location <region> \
--admin-user <admin> \
--admin-password <password> \
--sku-name GP_Gen5_2 \
--storage-size 20 \
--version 10.5 \
--backup-retention 7

How do I allow local connections?

Create a firewall rule with az mariadb server firewall-rule create or enable “Allow Azure services”.Always restrict by IP range in production.

How do I connect from Galaxy or any SQL editor?

Build a connection string: mariadb://admin:password@server-name.mariadb.database.azure.com:3306/ecommerce. Use SSL parameters that Azure provides, then open the connection in your editor.

What schema should I create first?

Run DDL for the typical ecommerce schema so teammates can query immediately.Atomic DDL keeps migration logs clean.

Example DDL

CREATE TABLE Customers (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
name VARCHAR(100),
email VARCHAR(120) UNIQUE,
created_at DATETIME DEFAULT NOW()
);
CREATE TABLE Orders (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
customer_id INT,
order_date DATE,
total_amount DECIMAL(10,2),
FOREIGN KEY (customer_id) REFERENCES Customers(id)
);
CREATE TABLE Products (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
name VARCHAR(120),
price DECIMAL(10,2),
stock INT
);
CREATE TABLE OrderItems (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
order_id INT,
product_id INT,
quantity INT,
FOREIGN KEY (order_id) REFERENCES Orders(id),
FOREIGN KEY (product_id) REFERENCES Products(id)
);

How can I verify everything works?

Insert seed rows, then run a JOIN query.If results return, networking, authentication, and schema are correct.

Best practices for production?

Enable SSL enforcement, set up geo-replication, and monitor metrics in Azure Monitor. Rotate admin passwords and use Azure AD authentication where possible.

Common mistakes and fixes

Using public IP for apps

Problem: Opening the server to the internet increases attack surface. Fix: Place the MariaDB server in a private VNet and access via Private Link.

Skipping storage auto-grow

Problem: Servers stop accepting writes when storage is full.Fix: Enable --storage-auto-grow during creation or later with az mariadb server update.

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