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How to Install the Dokku MariaDB Plugin

Install the official Dokku MariaDB plugin, create a named MariaDB service, link it to an app, and verify the resulting DATABASE_URL without relying on fork-specific instructions.

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Install the official MariaDB plugin on a Dokku 0.19-or-newer host with sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb. Installation only adds the plugin; you must then create a MariaDB service and link that service to a Dokku app. The link operation supplies the app with a DATABASE_URL in the form service://user:pass@host:port/db_name.

What you need before installing

The commands below are for the official Dokku MariaDB plugin and the current installation syntax documented for Dokku 0.19 and later. Run them on the Dokku host, not on your local workstation or inside an application container.

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  • A Dokku host: You need shell access to the server where Dokku is installed and permission to run commands with sudo.
  • Dokku 0.19 or newer: The plugin:install form used here is the documented syntax for that release line and later. If your host is older, do not substitute a command copied from an old tutorial; upgrade or follow the instructions that match your installed Dokku release.
  • An application name: Decide which existing Dokku app will use the database. The app name is supplied to mariadb:link.
  • A service name: Pick a short, unique name for the MariaDB service, such as bloggerdb. You will use exactly the same name when creating and linking the service.
  • The official repository: Use the Dokku-maintained repository URL in the command below. Forks can document different installation methods and should not be mixed into a new installation.

There are two separate objects to keep straight. The plugin adds MariaDB commands to Dokku. The service is the named MariaDB instance created with those commands. Your app receives database connection information only after the service is linked to it.

Install the official MariaDB plugin

From the Dokku server, run:

sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb

The first argument after plugin:install is the repository URL. The final argument, mariadb, is the plugin name Dokku will register. Keep both parts in place; changing the repository or omitting the name can install something other than the intended plugin or leave Dokku without the expected mariadb: commands.

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Use the repository’s current README as the authority if its installation instructions change: https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git. The command above is the documented Dokku 0.19-plus form. A 2015 tutorial that predates this syntax is not an appropriate substitute for a current installation.

After the command completes, the next operation is not a link. First create a service. Treat plugin installation and service provisioning as separate steps so that an error in one is easier to diagnose.

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Create a MariaDB service

Create a named service with:

dokku mariadb:create <service-name>

Replace <service-name> with the name you selected. For example:

dokku mariadb:create bloggerdb

This name becomes the handle used by subsequent MariaDB commands. It is not the Dokku app name, and it does not have to match the app name. You can therefore call the service bloggerdb and link it to an app called blogger.

The plugin README also lists optional --create-flags support. Those flags are for passing creation options when your deployment needs them. Because option details can vary with the plugin version, check the current README before adding them rather than copying an option from an unrelated fork or an old article. The minimal command above is the unambiguous starting point.

MariaDB version selection

The official README excerpt lists MariaDB 11.3.2 as the default version. That value is volatile and may have changed by the time you install the plugin, so do not treat 11.3.2 as a permanent guarantee. If the exact server version matters to your application, read the current README and the output or configuration associated with the plugin version you are installing before creating production data.

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Link the service to your Dokku app

Once the service exists, link it to the app that should use it:

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

Using the example names:

dokku mariadb:link bloggerdb blogger

The argument order matters: the service name comes first and the app name second. Do not reverse them. The app should already exist on the Dokku host; this command connects an existing service to that app rather than creating a new app.

Linking creates a DATABASE_URL variable for the app. The documented shape is:

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

That value carries the connection scheme, credentials, host, port and database name in one string. Applications and frameworks that support a DATABASE_URL convention can read it directly. The exact user, password, host, port and database name are generated for the service and should be consumed from the variable instead of being guessed or manually reconstructed.

Complete installation sequence

For an app named blogger and a service named bloggerdb, the complete sequence is:

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  1. Log in to the Dokku host.
  2. Install the official plugin:
sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb
  1. Create the MariaDB service:
dokku mariadb:create bloggerdb
  1. Link that service to the Dokku app:
dokku mariadb:link bloggerdb blogger
  1. Check the app’s environment through your normal Dokku or application configuration inspection and confirm that DATABASE_URL is present. Its value should follow the documented service://user:pass@host:port/db_name pattern.

The sequence is intentionally linear. Installing the plugin without creating a service leaves no database service to link. Creating a service without linking it leaves the app without the connection variable it needs.

Understand the names and commands

Purpose Command What to replace
Install the plugin sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb Normally nothing; use the official repository URL and plugin name shown.
Create a service dokku mariadb:create <service-name> <service-name>, for example bloggerdb.
Link a service dokku mariadb:link <service-name> <app-name> The existing service name first, then the existing app name.

Keeping names explicit is especially useful when one Dokku host runs multiple apps. A service name identifies the database service; an app name identifies the deployment receiving the environment variable. Reusing the wrong name can link a different service than intended or produce a command error.

Verify the connection without hard-coding credentials

The key installation check is not a particular success message; it is that the linked app receives DATABASE_URL. Inspect the environment using the configuration method already used for that Dokku app, then confirm:

  • The variable is named exactly DATABASE_URL, including capitalization and underscore.
  • The value begins with service:// and contains the user, password, host, port and database name components shown in the documented format.
  • The service portion corresponds to the service you just linked, rather than an older database service.
  • Your application is configured to read DATABASE_URL rather than expecting a separately named variable.

Do not publish the complete value in logs or support tickets: it contains credentials. If you need to show a diagnostic example, redact the password and other secrets while retaining the scheme and general structure.

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Troubleshoot common installation problems

The plugin-install command is rejected

First check the Dokku release. The syntax in this guide is for Dokku 0.19 and later. Older Dokku releases used different installation syntax, so an old host may reject plugin:install or handle it differently. Do not “fix” the command by cloning an arbitrary fork into a plugins directory; update Dokku or use documentation that explicitly matches the old release, then return to the official repository instructions for the plugin version you intend to run.

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The mariadb:create command is unknown

This normally means the plugin was not installed successfully or Dokku is not seeing the plugin under the expected mariadb name. Re-run the official installation command on the Dokku host and read any error it reports. Confirm that you did not omit the final mariadb argument and that you are operating on the same host where the app is deployed.

Service creation fails

Check the service name first. Use a name you can identify later and avoid accidentally reusing a name that belongs to an existing service. If you need creation options, consult the current README’s --create-flags documentation; do not assume flags documented by a fork are accepted by the official plugin. Also verify that the plugin installation finished before attempting to create the service.

The link command fails or links the wrong target

Check the order of arguments. The required form is dokku mariadb:link service-name app-name: service first, app second. Confirm that both names are spelled exactly as created on this Dokku host. A service named bloggerdb is not interchangeable with an app named blogger, even when they belong to the same project.

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The app has no DATABASE_URL

Linking is the step that creates the variable. Installing the plugin or creating a service alone does not complete the app configuration. Run the link command with the correct service and app names, then inspect the app’s environment again. If the variable still is not present, verify that you are checking the same app named in the link command and that the command did not return an error.

The database version is not 11.3.2

Do not assume that indicates a failed install. The 11.3.2 value is the default reported in the README excerpt and is subject to change. Check the current official README and the plugin’s current behavior for the version available at your installation date. A newer default can be legitimate; pinning or overriding a version requires instructions specific to that plugin release.

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Why you should avoid fork-specific installation instructions

Search results include forks that use a different workflow. One documented fork clones files into Dokku’s plugins directory and then uses commands such as dokku mariadb:create foo and dokku mariadb:link foo another_app. That is not the same installation path as the official repository’s plugin:install command. Other forks appear in search results without verified maintenance or compatibility information.

Installation source Documented approach Recommendation for a new install
Official Dokku MariaDB repository sudo dokku plugin:install https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mariadb.git mariadb Use this path, then create and link the service.
Fork with directory cloning Clone into a plugins directory, then run MariaDB commands Avoid as a default; syntax and maintenance may differ.
Unverified forks in search results Not established Do not rely on them for production installation steps.

Using one source consistently matters because plugin installation, supported flags and default versions can change independently across forks. Mixing a fork’s installation method with the official plugin’s commands makes failures difficult to interpret.

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What this installation sequence does and does not cover

The three commands install the plugin, create a service and connect that service to an app. They establish the environment variable your application needs, but they are not a complete database-operations policy. Upgrade procedures, uninstall steps and backup or restore procedures require instructions for the exact plugin and Dokku versions you run. Consult the current official README before treating any of those operations as safe for production data.

The same caution applies to compatibility beyond the documented Dokku 0.19 threshold. The syntax is explicitly associated with 0.19 and later, but compatibility with every newer Dokku release was not established here. For a production host, compare the plugin’s current README with your installed Dokku version before scheduling an upgrade.

Quick checklist

  • Run commands on the Dokku host with the necessary privileges.
  • Use Dokku 0.19 or later for the plugin:install syntax shown.
  • Install from the official repository URL, not an unverified fork.
  • Choose and record a unique service name.
  • Run dokku mariadb:create service-name before linking.
  • Run dokku mariadb:link service-name app-name with the service first and app second.
  • Confirm the linked app receives DATABASE_URL in the documented service://user:pass@host:port/db_name form.
  • Check the current README for the MariaDB default version and any optional --create-flags syntax.
  • Keep credentials from the connection URL out of logs and public diagnostics.

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