Database Setup for ARK API

Setting up your database correctly is crucial for ARK server plugins that require MySQL/MariaDB connectivity. This guide will help you configure your database for containerized environments.

Automatic Setup (Recommended)

Our dashboard provides a one-click solution that:

• Installs and configures MariaDB Server
• Sets up proper remote access permissions
• Creates a default database user with these credentials:
  • Username: admin
  • Password: password
• Configures necessary security settings

Manual Setup

If you're setting up MariaDB manually, follow these steps carefully:

1. Download and Install MariaDB

   • Official MariaDB Download
     Download from: https://downloads.mariadb.org/rest-api/mariadb/11.3.2/mariadb-11.3.2-winx64.msi
   • Run the installer and follow these steps:
     • Accept the license agreement
     • Choose "Complete" installation type
     
     • Set a root password when prompted
     • ✓ Check "Use UTF8 as default server's character set"
     
     • Leave other options at their default settings
     
     • Click "Install" to complete the setup

2. Configure Remote Access

   Edit your MariaDB configuration file at C:\Program Files\MariaDB 11.3\data\my.ini and add:

   [mysqld]
   bind-address=0.0.0.0

3. Create Admin User

   Connect to MariaDB and create the admin user:

   "C:\Program Files\MariaDB 11.3\bin\mysql.exe" -u root -e "CREATE USER 'admin'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'admin'@'%' WITH GRANT OPTION; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"

4. Configure Firewall Rules

   Allow MariaDB connections through Windows Firewall:

   # Remove existing rules
   Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow MySQL from *" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Remove-NetFirewallRule
   
   # Add new rule for local subnets
   New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow MySQL from Local Subnet" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 3306 -Profile Any