grass-mesql(1)

💅 grass-mesql — MySQL embedded driver ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the GRASS GIS User's Manual page for grass-mesql, aka the MySQL embedded driver. grab a snack, this one's cute AND useful 🫶

🌸 MySQL embedded driver

So like. The MySQL database driver lets GRASS store vector attributes in a MySQL embedded database — no MySQL server running required. no server, no drama, no systemctl meltdown. it's giving self-sufficient queen 👑

🔌 Driver and database name

GRASS modules need 2 parameters to connect to a database, bestie. those parameters are 'driver' and 'database'.

• For the MySQL embedded driver, the 'driver' parameter should be set to the value mesql. yes, mesql, not mysql. iykyk.
• The 'database' parameter is a full path to the directory where database tables are stored. the best place for it is a directory in the mapset. and listen — the directory must be created before use of the driver. it will not make itself. it is not that girl. create it first 💅

And in the name of the database you can use 3 variables:

• $GISDBASE — path to current GISBASE
• $LOCATION_NAME — name of current location
• $MAPSET — name of current mapset

Examples of connection parameters, copy them exactly bestie:

db.connect driver=mesql database='$GISDBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/mysql'
db.connect driver=mesql database=/home/user1/db

📊 Data types, indexes

For more info about supported data types and indexes, go check the documentation for the MySQL (mysql) driver. that's the main character, this is the spinoff ✨

🗄️ Database type

Okay so tea time: because database closing was found very slow when InnoDB was used, the InnoDB storage is disabled by default — it's hardcoded with the --skip-innodb server option. not a config you toggle, a whole hardcoded vibe. periodt 💀

📌 Note

The embedded server is started with the hardcoded --bootstrap option, and that's specifically to avoid the warning about the missing "mysql.time_zone_leap_second table". this can be fixed in future. for now it just... is. 🙈

🚨 Troubleshooting: SQL syntax error

If you try to use a reserved SQL word as a column or table name, you're gonna get a "SQL syntax" error. that's it, that's the whole thing. the list of reserved words for MySQL lives in the MySQL manual — go peek before you name anything order or select, i'm begging 😭

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👑 AUTHOR

Radim Blazek

Credits: Development of the driver was sponsored by Faunalia (Italy) as part of a project for ATAC. shoutout 🫶

🔗 SEE ALSO

• db.connect
• SQL support in GRASS GIS

📂 SOURCE CODE

Available at: MySQL embedded driver source code (history)

Accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:40:32 2026

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and that's a wrap bestie 🎀 this was the grass-mesql(1) page from the GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual, © 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team. version 8.4.2, slayed as always. go forth and embed ur MySQL 💖✨🦋