Deployment guide

MariaDB on Windows

Overview

This guide covers deploying and configuring MariaDB on Windows Server with SecureAnyCloud AMIs from the AWS Marketplace. MariaDB is a community-developed, commercially supported fork of MySQL. It provides a robust, scalable and reliable SQL database server.

What you get:

MariaDB (latest version) with the database listener on port 3306
MariaDB Windows Service, which starts automatically on boot
HeidiSQL database administration client, preinstalled
Windows Server with Remote Desktop access
24/7 SecureAnyCloud support with a guaranteed 24 hour response SLA

Prerequisites

Before you launch this AMI, make sure you have:

An active AWS account
An active subscription to the MariaDB on Windows listing on AWS Marketplace
An EC2 key pair for password decryption
A Remote Desktop client application

Recommended instance type: t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger. The minimum requirements are 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 20 GB of disk space.

Launch the AMI

Go to the AWS Marketplace and search for "MariaDB Windows SecureAnyCloud".
Choose Continue to Subscribe, accept the terms, then choose Continue to Configuration.
Select your Region and Software Version.
Choose Continue to Launch.
Choose Launch through EC2 for full control over instance configuration.
Select your instance type (t3.medium is recommended).
Configure storage: 20 GB gp3 minimum. Increase it for large databases.
Configure your Security Group with these inbound rules:
- Port 3389, TCP, source: your IP. Remote Desktop (RDP) access.
- Port 3306, TCP, source: your IP. MariaDB database listener.
Select your EC2 key pair and launch the instance.

Important: Restrict port 3306 to trusted application servers or your IP only. Do not expose the database port to the public internet.

Retrieve the Windows Password

Wait for the EC2 instance to pass 2/2 status checks.

Open the AWS Console and go to EC2 > Instances.
Select your instance.
Choose Actions > Security > Get Windows password.
Choose Browse and upload your EC2 key pair .pem file.
Choose Decrypt password.
Note the Username (Administrator) and the decrypted Password.

Connect via Remote Desktop

Open your Remote Desktop client.

On Windows:

Press Win + R, type mstsc and press Enter.
Enter the public IP address of your instance.
Choose Connect.

On macOS:

Open Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Choose Add PC and enter the public IP address.
Double-click the connection to connect.

When prompted, enter:

Username: Administrator
Password: the decrypted value from Step 2

Connect Using HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL is preinstalled as a graphical database administration tool. Double-click the HeidiSQL shortcut on the desktop to launch it.

To connect to the local MariaDB instance:

Choose New to create a session.
Set Network type to MariaDB or MySQL (TCP/IP).
Set Hostname / IP to 127.0.0.1.
Set Port to 3306.
Set User to root.
Enter the MariaDB root password, if you set one during installation.
Choose Open.

Managing the MariaDB Service

MariaDB runs as a Windows Service and starts automatically on boot.

To manage it in Windows Services:

From the Start Menu, search for Services and open it.
Find the MariaDB service in the list.
Right-click it and choose Start, Stop or Restart.

To manage it with PowerShell:

# Check MariaDB service status Get-Service -Name MariaDB
# Stop MariaDB Stop-Service -Name MariaDB
# Start MariaDB Start-Service -Name MariaDB
# Restart MariaDB Restart-Service -Name MariaDB

Server Components

MariaDB: latest version
HeidiSQL: included

Filesystem Layout

The C:\ system drive holds Windows and the MariaDB and HeidiSQL installations.

Key directories:

C:\Program Files\MariaDB: MariaDB server installation
C:\Program Files\MariaDB\data: database data files
C:\Program Files\HeidiSQL: HeidiSQL client installation

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect to MariaDB on port 3306

Verify the MariaDB service is running in Windows Services.
Check that your security group allows port 3306 from your IP.
Test local connectivity from HeidiSQL using 127.0.0.1.
Check that Windows Firewall is not blocking port 3306.

HeidiSQL shows a connection error

Verify the MariaDB service is running.
Check that the username and password are correct.
Make sure you are connecting to 127.0.0.1 port 3306.

Cannot connect over RDP

Verify the instance has passed 2/2 status checks.
Check that your security group allows port 3389 from your IP.
Wait up to 15 minutes for the Windows password to become available.

Security Recommendations

Set a root password if one is not already configured.
Change the Administrator password for Windows after first login.
Restrict port access. Allow port 3306 only from trusted IPs.
Create application-specific users. Do not use root for application connections.
Disable remote root login. Restrict root access to localhost only.
Enable SSL/TLS for encrypted database connections.
Back up regularly. Use mysqldump or MariaDB Backup for automated backups.
Enable Windows Update to keep the OS patched with the latest security updates.

Support

If you have any issues with this product, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
Website: secureanycloud.com
Support hours: 24/7 with a guaranteed 24 hour response SLA

Deploy on AWS

Launch MariaDB on Windows with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

View on Marketplace

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com