Mariadb Connector Cpp Install

MariaDB Connector/C++: Installation and Configuration

Last updated: 2026-08-10

MariaDB Connector/C++ is the C++ client library for MariaDB, layered on top of MariaDB Connector/C. This skill covers installing it, satisfying its dependency, and getting an application to compile, link, and find its plugins at runtime. For the API itself, see mariadb-connector-cpp-usage.

Default context: Assume the 1.0 stable line unless the user states otherwise. Where the 1.1 line differs, it is called out. Connector versions are independent of the MariaDB server version.

What LLMs Often Miss

Installing

Linux, from RPM or DEB packages

Install Connector/C first, then the downloaded Connector/C++ package:

# Prerequisite (from the MariaDB package repository)
sudo apt install libmariadb3 libmariadb-dev      # Debian, Ubuntu
sudo dnf install MariaDB-shared MariaDB-devel    # RHEL, Rocky Linux

# Connector/C++, from the file downloaded for this distribution
sudo dnf install mariadb-connector-cpp-*.rpm     # RPM-based
sudo apt install ./mariadb-connector-cpp-*.deb   # Debian-based

Linux, from the binary tarball

All four groups of files matter — headers, the compatibility headers, the library, and the plugins:

tar -xvzf mariadb-connector-cpp-*.tar.gz
cd mariadb-connector-cpp-*/

sudo install -d /usr/include/mariadb/conncpp /usr/include/mariadb/conncpp/compat
sudo install include/mariadb/*                /usr/include/mariadb/
sudo install include/mariadb/conncpp/*        /usr/include/mariadb/conncpp
sudo install include/mariadb/conncpp/compat/* /usr/include/mariadb/conncpp/compat

# RPM-based distributions use lib64; Debian-based use lib
sudo install -d /usr/lib64/mariadb/plugin
sudo install lib/mariadb/libmariadbcpp.so /usr/lib64
sudo install lib/mariadb/plugin/*         /usr/lib64/mariadb/plugin

Windows, from the MSI

The MSI installs Connector/C as part of the same run. Afterwards, add the installation directory to PATH so the loader can resolve mariadbcpp at run time.

Building from source

cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo .
cmake --build build
sudo cmake --install build

CMake 3.10 or newer is required, and the build targets C++11. If a libmariadb subdirectory is present the build uses it and installs that Connector/C alongside; otherwise it links against the Connector/C already installed on the system.

Compiling an application against it

g++ -std=c++11 app.cpp -lmariadbcpp -o app

#include <mariadb/conncpp.hpp>

If the headers landed somewhere other than /usr/include, add the corresponding -I; if the library did, add -L and make sure the runtime linker can find it (ldconfig, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, or an rpath).

Configuration

Connection settings are supplied as properties when the driver creates a connection, rather than through a configuration file the library discovers on its own:

sql::Driver* driver = sql::mariadb::get_driver_instance();

// Properties is taken by non-const reference, so it needs to be a named object
sql::Properties properties({
    {"user", "app"},
    {"password", "secret"},
    {"useTls", "true"},
    {"tlsCA", "/etc/ssl/certs/ca.pem"},
});

std::unique_ptr<sql::Connection> conn(
    driver->connect("jdbc:mariadb://localhost:3306/appdb", properties));

Because the transport underneath is Connector/C, the TLS behavior — and which TLS options are honored — follows whatever TLS library that Connector/C was built against. See mariadb-connector-c-install for that side of the configuration, including option files and certificate handling.

Verifying the install

std::unique_ptr<sql::Statement> stmt(conn->createStatement());
std::unique_ptr<sql::ResultSet> res(stmt->executeQuery("SELECT VERSION()"));
res->next();
std::cout << res->getString(1) << std::endl;   // columns are 1-based

A link error points at -lmariadbcpp or the library path; a load error at run time points at PATH (Windows) or the runtime linker path (Linux); an authentication failure right after connecting usually points at the missing plugin directory.

See Also

• mariadb-connector-cpp-usage — using the API once it is installed: statements, result sets, transactions, batches
• mariadb-connector-c-install — installing and configuring the required underlying C client library
• Canonical reference on mariadb.com/docs, consult for edge cases not covered here: https://mariadb.com/docs/connectors/mariadb-connector-cpp

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