Installing MySQL from Source You can install MySQL on FreeBSD by using the binary distribution provided by Oracle. For more information, see Section 2.2, “Installing MySQL on Unix/Linux Using Generic Binaries” . The easiest (and preferred) way to install MySQL is to use the  mysql-server  and  mysql-client  ports available at http://www.freebsd.org/. Using these ports gives you the following benefits: The MySQL build process requires GNU make ( gmake ) to work. If GNU  make  is not available, you must install it first before compiling MySQL. Prerequisite libraries as per  ldd mysqld : libthr, libcrypt, libkrb5, libm, librt, libexecinfo, libunwind, and libssl. The standard port installation places the server into  /usr/local/libexec/mysqld , with the startup script for the MySQL server placed in  /usr/local/etc/rc.d/mysql-server . Some additional notes on the BSD implementation: Building MySQL from the source code enables you to customize build parameters, compiler optimizations, and installation location. For a list of systems on which MySQL is known to run, see https:// www.mysql.com/support/supportedplatforms/database.html. Before you proceed with an installation from source, check whether Oracle produces a precompiled binary distribution for your platform and whether it works for you. We put a great deal of effort into ensuring that our binaries are built with the best possible options for optimal performance. Instructions for installing binary distributions are available in Section 2.2, “Installing MySQL on Unix/Linux Using Generic Binaries” . 205 2.9 Installing MySQL from Source Note •If you get problems with the current date in MySQL, setting the  TZ  variable should help. See Section 4.9, “Environment Variables” . •To remove MySQL after installation using the ports system: •A working MySQL with all optimizations enabled that are known to work on your version of FreeBSD. •Automatic configuration and build. •Startup scripts installed in  /usr/local/etc/rc.d . •The ability to use  pkg_info -L  to see which files are installed. •The ability to use  pkg_delete  to remove MySQL if you no longer want it on your machine. To install using the ports system: # cd /usr/ports/databases/mysql80-server # make ... # cd /usr/ports/databases/mysql80-client # make ... # cd /usr/ports/databases/mysql80-server # make deinstall ... # cd /usr/ports/databases/mysql80-client # make deinstall ...