tessl/maven-org-testcontainers--mysql

Testcontainers module for creating throwaway MySQL database containers for integration testing

Overview

Eval results

Files

Container Configuration

Name: tessl/maven-org-testcontainers--mysql
Author: tessl

This document covers the creation and configuration of MySQL containers including Docker image selection, database credentials, and MySQL server configuration overrides.

Quick Reference

Constructor Options:

MySQLContainer(String dockerImageName) - String-based image name
MySQLContainer(DockerImageName dockerImageName) - Type-safe image name (recommended)

Configuration Methods (Fluent Interface, Return SELF):

withDatabaseName(String databaseName) - Set database name (default: "test")
withUsername(String username) - Set username (default: "test")
withPassword(String password) - Set password (default: "test")
withConfigurationOverride(String configPath) - Mount custom my.cnf files from classpath directory

Getter Methods:

getDatabaseName(): String - Returns configured database name
getUsername(): String - Returns configured username
getPassword(): String - Returns configured password

Constraints:

All configuration methods must be called before start()
Configuration cannot be changed after container is started
Database name, username, password are immutable after container creation

Capabilities

Container Construction

Create a new MySQL container instance with a specified Docker image.

/**
 * Creates a MySQL container with the specified Docker image name string.
 * The image name should follow Docker image naming conventions (e.g., "mysql:8.0" or "mysql:5.7.34").
 *
 * @param dockerImageName the Docker image name as a string (e.g., "mysql:8.0", "mysql:5.7.34")
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if dockerImageName is null or empty
 */
MySQLContainer(String dockerImageName);

/**
 * Creates a MySQL container with the specified DockerImageName object.
 * This is the recommended constructor as it provides type safety and validation.
 *
 * @param dockerImageName the Docker image name as a DockerImageName object
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if dockerImageName is null
 */
MySQLContainer(DockerImageName dockerImageName);

Usage Example:

import org.testcontainers.containers.MySQLContainer;
import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName;

// Using string image name
MySQLContainer<?> mysql1 = new MySQLContainer<>("mysql:8.0");

// Using DockerImageName (recommended)
MySQLContainer<?> mysql2 = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0.36"));

Image Selection Guidelines:

Use specific version tags (e.g., "mysql:8.0.36") for reproducible tests
Use major version tags (e.g., "mysql:8.0") for flexibility with patch updates
Avoid "latest" tag in production tests for stability
MySQL 8.0+ recommended for modern applications
MySQL 5.7 supported but consider upgrading
Image must be available in Docker registry (Docker Hub by default)

Common Image Tags:

mysql:8.0 - Latest MySQL 8.0 (recommended)
mysql:8.0.36 - Specific MySQL 8.0 patch version
mysql:5.7 - Latest MySQL 5.7
mysql:5.7.34 - Specific MySQL 5.7 patch version

Database Name Configuration

Set the name of the database to be created when the container starts.

/**
 * Sets the name of the database to be created in the MySQL container.
 * This database will be automatically created when the container starts.
 * The database name cannot be changed after container creation.
 *
 * @param databaseName the database name (must be valid MySQL identifier)
 * @return self for method chaining (SELF extends MySQLContainer<SELF>)
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if databaseName is null or empty
 */
SELF withDatabaseName(String databaseName);

/**
 * Gets the configured database name.
 * Returns the default value "test" if not explicitly set.
 *
 * @return the database name (default: "test")
 */
String getDatabaseName();

Usage Example:

MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withDatabaseName("myapp_test");

mysql.start();
String dbName = mysql.getDatabaseName(); // "myapp_test"

Important Notes:

Database is created automatically on container startup
Database name must be valid MySQL identifier (alphanumeric, underscore, no spaces, not a reserved keyword)
Default database name is "test" if not specified
Database name cannot be changed after container creation
Database name is case-sensitive on case-sensitive filesystems
Maximum length: 64 characters (MySQL limit)

Valid Database Names:

"testdb", "myapp_test", "integration_test_db"
Invalid: "test db" (spaces), "test-db" (hyphens), "SELECT" (reserved keyword)

Username Configuration

Set the username for database connections.

/**
 * Sets the username for database connections.
 * If set to "root", special behavior applies for password handling.
 * The username cannot be changed after container creation.
 *
 * @param username the database username (must be valid MySQL identifier)
 * @return self for method chaining (SELF extends MySQLContainer<SELF>)
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if username is null or empty
 */
SELF withUsername(String username);

/**
 * Gets the configured username.
 * Returns the default value "test" if not explicitly set.
 *
 * @return the username (default: "test")
 */
String getUsername();

Usage Example:

MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("myuser");

mysql.start();
String user = mysql.getUsername(); // "myuser"

Important Notes:

The default username is "test"
When using username "root" with an empty password, you must also set the environment variable MYSQL_ROOT_HOST to allow root login from any host (typically set to "%")
When using a non-root username, an empty password will cause the container to fail to start with ContainerLaunchException
Username cannot be changed after container creation
Username must be valid MySQL identifier (alphanumeric, underscore, no spaces)

Root User Special Case:

// Root user with empty password requires MYSQL_ROOT_HOST
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("root")
    .withPassword("")
    .withEnv("MYSQL_ROOT_HOST", "%"); // Required for root with empty password

Password Configuration

Set the password for database connections.

/**
 * Sets the password for database connections.
 * The password applies to both the configured user and the root user.
 * The password cannot be changed after container creation.
 *
 * @param password the database password (can be empty string for root user only)
 * @return self for method chaining (SELF extends MySQLContainer<SELF>)
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if password is null
 */
SELF withPassword(String password);

/**
 * Gets the configured password.
 * Returns the default value "test" if not explicitly set.
 *
 * @return the password (default: "test")
 */
String getPassword();

Usage Example:

MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("myuser")
    .withPassword("mypassword");

mysql.start();
String pwd = mysql.getPassword(); // "mypassword"

Password Behavior:

The default password is "test"
When a custom password is specified, it applies to BOTH the configured user AND the MySQL root user
Empty passwords are only allowed when using the "root" username (and MYSQL_ROOT_HOST environment variable is set)
Empty passwords with non-root usernames will throw a ContainerLaunchException at startup
Password cannot be changed after container creation
Password can contain any characters (no restrictions)

Error Scenario: Empty Password with Non-Root User

// This will throw ContainerLaunchException
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("testuser")
    .withPassword(""); // Empty password not allowed for non-root user
mysql.start(); // Throws ContainerLaunchException

Solution:

// Use root user with MYSQL_ROOT_HOST
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("root")
    .withPassword("")
    .withEnv("MYSQL_ROOT_HOST", "%");

MySQL Configuration Override

Mount custom MySQL configuration files (my.cnf) to override server settings.

/**
 * Mounts custom MySQL configuration files from a classpath directory.
 * All .cnf files in the specified directory will be mapped to /etc/mysql/conf.d
 * in the container, allowing MySQL server settings to be overridden.
 * Configuration is applied at container startup and cannot be changed without restart.
 *
 * @param configPath path to a directory on the classpath containing .cnf files
 * @return self for method chaining (SELF extends MySQLContainer<SELF>)
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if configPath is null or empty
 * @throws ContainerLaunchException if configPath does not exist on classpath or contains no .cnf files
 */
SELF withConfigurationOverride(String configPath);

Usage Example:

// Assumes somepath/mysql_conf_override is a directory on the classpath
// containing .cnf files (e.g., custom.cnf)
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withConfigurationOverride("somepath/mysql_conf_override");

mysql.start();

Configuration Override Details:

The specified path must point to a directory on the classpath (typically src/test/resources/)
All .cnf files in that directory will be mounted into the container
Files are placed in /etc/mysql/conf.d/ within the container
Configuration settings in these files override MySQL default settings
This is useful for adjusting buffer sizes, timeouts, character sets, etc.
Configuration is applied at container startup and cannot be changed without restart
Path uses forward slashes regardless of OS
Path is case-sensitive on case-sensitive filesystems

Example my.cnf override file:

[mysqld]
innodb_max_undo_log_size=20000000
max_connections=500
character-set-server=utf8mb4
collation-server=utf8mb4_unicode_ci
innodb_buffer_pool_size=1G

Common Configuration Overrides:

max_connections - Maximum concurrent connections
innodb_buffer_pool_size - InnoDB buffer pool size
character-set-server - Server character set (e.g., "utf8mb4")
collation-server - Server collation
innodb_log_file_size - InnoDB log file size
max_allowed_packet - Maximum packet size
wait_timeout - Connection timeout
interactive_timeout - Interactive session timeout

Complete Configuration Example

import org.testcontainers.containers.MySQLContainer;
import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName;

try (MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0.36"))
        .withDatabaseName("integration_test_db")
        .withUsername("testuser")
        .withPassword("testpass123")
        .withConfigurationOverride("mysql-config")) {

    mysql.start();

    // Container is ready with custom configuration
    String jdbcUrl = mysql.getJdbcUrl();
    // jdbc:mysql://localhost:xxxxx/integration_test_db?useSSL=false&allowPublicKeyRetrieval=true
}

Root User Configuration Example

import org.testcontainers.containers.MySQLContainer;
import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName;

// Using root user with empty password
try (MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
        .withDatabaseName("testdb")
        .withUsername("root")
        .withPassword("")
        .withEnv("MYSQL_ROOT_HOST", "%")) { // Required for root with empty password

    mysql.start();
    // Container is ready for root access with no password
}

Root User Notes:

Root user requires MYSQL_ROOT_HOST environment variable when using empty password
Set MYSQL_ROOT_HOST to "%" to allow root login from any host
Root user has full privileges on all databases
Use root user only when necessary for testing administrative operations
Root user password is set to the same value as the configured password

Error Scenarios

ContainerLaunchException: Empty password with non-root user

// This will throw ContainerLaunchException
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("testuser")
    .withPassword(""); // Empty password not allowed for non-root user
mysql.start(); // Throws ContainerLaunchException

Solution:

// Use root user with MYSQL_ROOT_HOST
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withUsername("root")
    .withPassword("")
    .withEnv("MYSQL_ROOT_HOST", "%");

ContainerLaunchException: Invalid configuration override path

// This will throw ContainerLaunchException if path doesn't exist
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withConfigurationOverride("nonexistent/path");
mysql.start(); // Throws ContainerLaunchException

Solution:

// Ensure path exists on classpath and contains .cnf files
// Place files in src/test/resources/mysql-config/
MySQLContainer<?> mysql = new MySQLContainer<>(DockerImageName.parse("mysql:8.0"))
    .withConfigurationOverride("mysql-config"); // Valid classpath path

IllegalArgumentException: Null or empty parameters

// These will throw IllegalArgumentException
new MySQLContainer<>((String) null);
new MySQLContainer<>((DockerImageName) null);
mysql.withDatabaseName(null);
mysql.withUsername("");

Best Practices

Use DockerImageName.parse(): Provides type safety and validation
Specify Database Names: Use descriptive names that indicate test purpose
Avoid Root User: Use dedicated test users unless root privileges are required
Use Strong Passwords: Even in tests, use non-trivial passwords to catch password-related issues
Version Pinning: Use specific image versions (e.g., "mysql:8.0.36") for reproducible tests
Configuration Overrides: Use configuration overrides for production-like testing scenarios
Document Custom Configurations: Explain why specific configurations were chosen
Validate Configuration Early: Call all configuration methods before start() to catch errors early
Use Fluent Interface: Chain configuration methods for readability
Check Classpath Resources: Ensure configuration override paths exist before using them

Install with Tessl CLI

npx tessl i tessl/maven-org-testcontainers--mysql

docs

container-configuration.md

container-customization.md

container-lifecycle.md

database-initialization.md

index.md

jdbc-connection.md

r2dbc-support.md

url-parameters-timeouts.md

tile.json

tessl/maven-org-testcontainers--mysql