GCP PlayCloud Labs Guided Lab: Setting Up and Managing a Database on a VM Instance

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Guided Lab: Setting Up and Managing a Database on a VM Instance

Jon-Bonso

Description

In this lab, you will learn how to set up and manage a MySQL database on a Google Cloud VM instance. You’ll create a VM, install MySQL, and run SQL queries to configure a database and user. This workflow demonstrates how to host and manage databases directly on Compute Engine, giving you full control over configuration and management.

Prerequisites

This lab assumes you have experience creating a VM instance and are familiar with its basic components. If you feel that your knowledge in this area is insufficient, we highly recommend taking this lab to gain the necessary understanding:

Guided Lab: How to Launch a GCP Compute Engine Linux Instance

Objectives

In this lab, you will:

Create a VM instance in Google Cloud
Install MySQL on the VM
Connect to MySQL and execute SQL queries to create a database and user
Create tables and insert sample data

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Lab Steps

Create a VM Instance

1. In the Google Cloud Console, go to Compute Engine → VM instances → Create Instance.

2. Create a VM instance using the following machine configurations:

Name: Enter your desired instance name.
Machine type: Choose e2-small (Preset)
Under OS and storage, click the Change button to modify the Boot disk:
- Operating System: Ubuntu
- Version: 24.04 LTS Minimal (x86/64, amd64 noble minimal image built on 2025‑12‑17)

3. Leave other configurations at their default values.

4. Once done, click the Create button.

Connect to the VM

1. From the VM instances page, click SSH next to your VM.

2. Once connected, verify you are inside the VM by running:

hostname

Install MySQL

1. Update the package list:

sudo apt update

2. Install MySQL server:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

Note: The installation may take a few minutes. Wait until the process completes fully before moving to the next step.

Create a Database and User

1. Open the MySQL

sudo mysql

2. Run the following SQL commands inside the MySQL shell:

-- Create a new database
CREATE DATABASE td_demo;

-- Create a new user with a password
CREATE USER 'tdDemo'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'tdDemo123';

-- Grant privileges to the user on the database
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON td_demo.* TO 'tdDemo'@'localhost';

-- Apply the changes
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Verify the database
SHOW DATABASES;

-- Verify the user
SELECT User, Host FROM mysql.user;

3. Exit MySQL:

exit

Create Tables and Insert Sample Data

1. Log in to MySQL using the new user account:

mysql -u tdDemo -p

2. Enter the password you set (tdDemo123).

3. Switch to the database you created:

USE td_demo;

4. Create a new table to store employee records:

CREATE TABLE Employees (
  ID INT PRIMARY KEY,
  Name VARCHAR(50),
  Age INT,
  Salary DECIMAL(10, 2)
);

5. Insert sample data into the table:

INSERT INTO Employees (ID, Name, Age, Salary)
VALUES (1, 'Jose Rizal', 25, 50000.00);

INSERT INTO Employees (ID, Name, Age, Salary)
VALUES (2, 'Andres Bonifacio', 30, 55000.00);

INSERT INTO Employees (ID, Name, Age, Salary)
VALUES (3, 'Emilio Aguinaldo', 35, 60000.00);

6. Verify the data by running:

SELECT * FROM Employees;

7. Exit MySQL:

exit

That’s it! You have now successfully set up and managed a MySQL database on a Google Cloud VM instance. Throughout this lab, you created a VM running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Minimal, installed MySQL, and executed SQL queries to configure a database and user. You also created tables and inserted sample data to validate the setup. This workflow demonstrates how databases can be hosted directly on Compute Engine, giving you complete control over configuration, security, and management.