mysql-python (Legacy MySQLdb)

Common errors

• ImportError: No module named MySQLdb

  cause Attempting to import `MySQLdb` on a Python 3.x environment, or `mysql-python` was not successfully installed.
  fix If on Python 3.x, switch to `mysqlclient` (`pip install mysqlclient`) or `mysql-connector-python` (`pip install mysql-connector-python`). If on Python 2.x, ensure `mysql-python` installed successfully (check for compilation errors).

• Command "python setup.py egg_info" failed with error code 1 in /tmp/pip-build-xxxx/mysql-python/

  cause Missing necessary C development headers for MySQL client libraries (`libmysqlclient-dev`) or Python (`python-dev`), preventing the C extension from compiling.
  fix Install system-level development packages. On Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt-get install python-dev libmysqlclient-dev`. On RHEL/CentOS: `sudo yum install python-devel mysql-devel` or `sudo dnf install python-devel mysql-devel`.

• AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'connect'

  cause This error typically occurs if you've imported `mysql.connector` expecting `MySQLdb` functionality, or if the `MySQLdb` module was only partially loaded.
  fix Ensure you are using `import MySQLdb` for `mysql-python` and that the installation was successful. If intentionally using `mysql.connector`, install `mysql-connector-python` (`pip install mysql-connector-python`) and use its API.

Warnings

• breaking This library (mysql-python 1.2.5) officially supports Python 2.4-2.7 only. It is not compatible with Python 3.x, and attempts to install or run it on Python 3 will typically fail with `ImportError` or `SyntaxError`.
  Fix: For Python 3.x, use `mysqlclient` (a fork providing MySQLdb compatibility) or `mysql-connector-python` (Oracle's official driver). Install with `pip install mysqlclient` or `pip install mysql-connector-python` respectively.
• gotcha Installation often fails due to missing C development headers for MySQL client libraries or Python itself. This is particularly common on fresh OS installations or minimal Docker images.
  Fix: On Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt-get install python-dev libmysqlclient-dev`. On RHEL/CentOS: `sudo yum install python-devel mysql-devel` or `sudo dnf install python-devel mysql-devel`.
• deprecated The `mysql-python` project (MySQLdb) is no longer actively maintained. The last release was in 2014, meaning it receives no new features, performance improvements, or security patches.
  Fix: Migrate to `mysqlclient` or `mysql-connector-python` for ongoing support, security, and Python 3 compatibility.

Install

• pip install mysql-python Primary Install

Imports

• MySQLdb
  wrong:

  import mysql.connector

  correct:

  import MySQLdb

  mysql-python exposes its functionality via the 'MySQLdb' module, not 'mysql.connector' which belongs to Oracle's 'mysql-connector-python'.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to connect to a MySQL database, create a table, insert data, and fetch results using the `MySQLdb` module. Ensure your MySQL server is running and `MYSQL_HOST`, `MYSQL_USER`, `MYSQL_PASSWORD`, and `MYSQL_DATABASE` environment variables are set with appropriate credentials. Remember to commit changes after DDL and DML operations.

import MySQLdb
import os

try:
    # Establish a connection to the MySQL server
    # Note: mysql-python (MySQLdb) primarily supports Python 2.x. 
    # Use 'passwd' for password and 'db' for database name.
    conn = MySQLdb.connect(
        host=os.environ.get('MYSQL_HOST', 'localhost'),
        user=os.environ.get('MYSQL_USER', 'root'),
        passwd=os.environ.get('MYSQL_PASSWORD', 'password'),
        db=os.environ.get('MYSQL_DATABASE', 'testdb')
    )

    # Create a cursor object to execute queries
    cursor = conn.cursor()

    # Create a table (if it doesn't exist)
    cursor.execute("""
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS my_table (
            id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
            name VARCHAR(255),
            age INT
        )
    """)
    conn.commit() # Commit changes for DDL operations

    # Insert data
    cursor.execute("INSERT INTO my_table (name, age) VALUES (%s, %s)", ("Alice", 30))
    cursor.execute("INSERT INTO my_table (name, age) VALUES (%s, %s)", ("Bob", 24))
    conn.commit() # Commit changes for DML operations

    print(f"Inserted {cursor.rowcount} records.")

    # Fetch data
    cursor.execute("SELECT id, name, age FROM my_table")
    rows = cursor.fetchall()

    print("\nData in my_table:")
    for row in rows:
        print(f"ID: {row[0]}, Name: {row[1]}, Age: {row[2]}")

except MySQLdb.Error as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")
finally:
    # Close the cursor and connection
    if 'cursor' in locals() and cursor:
        cursor.close()
    if 'conn' in locals() and conn:
        conn.close()
    print("\nConnection closed.")