# User starting the MySQL server

**URL:** <https://forums.percona.com/t/user-starting-the-mysql-server/11353>\
**Category:** MySQL & MariaDB\
**Created:** [July 14, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/user-starting-the-mysql-server/11353 "2021-07-14T19:17:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dbasan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/dbasan/32/4003_2.png) [@dbasan](https://forums.percona.com/u/dbasan)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/user-starting-the-mysql-server/11353/1 "2021-07-14T19:17:32Z")

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I have installed Percona MySQL server as mysqld user. I want only this user to start/shutdown the instance/server.

What should be input to the parameter in my.cnf file?

[mysqld]  
user=???

Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![matthewb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/matthewb/32/34_2.png) [@matthewb](https://forums.percona.com/u/matthewb)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/user-starting-the-mysql-server/11353/2 "2021-07-14T19:54:14Z")

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Starting/stopping MySQL is done via `systemctl` which typically requires root privileges.

```
[mysqld]
user=mysql

```

The above configuration is the user that mysqld will “drop” down to after being started by root. You probably need to use `visudo` to give your `mysqld` OS user privileges to run specific systemctl commands for starting/stopping.