# Mariadb Connector Cpp Install

> Installs and configures MariaDB Connector/C++ across Linux, Windows, and source builds, covering prerequisites, linking, and runtime plugin setup.

- Skill: `mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-cpp-install` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-cpp-install`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-cpp-install/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner WARNING, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools, DevOps & Infra, Deployment & Release, Dev Tooling
- Tags: Cmake, Connector Cpp, Cpp, Database, Installation, Linux, Mariadb, Windows
- Author: mariadb-corporation (https://skillmd.com/u/mariadb-corporation)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mariadb-corporation/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

| If the agent writes / assumes… | …prefer the MariaDB form |
|---|---|
| Installs Connector/C++ on Linux and expects it to work | **MariaDB Connector/C is a hard prerequisite** and must be installed first. Connector/C++ **1.0** needs Connector/C **3.1.1 or later**; **1.1** needs **3.3.3 or later**. On Windows the MSI installs Connector/C for you |
| Reaches for `apt install mariadb-connector-cpp` or `dnf install` from the MariaDB repository | Connector/C++ is **not** part of the server package repository. Download the `.deb`, `.rpm`, tarball, or MSI for the platform from the MariaDB Connector/C++ download page, then install the downloaded file — note the leading `./` on Debian: `sudo apt install ./mariadb-connector-cpp-*.deb` |
| Installs from the binary tarball by copying `libmariadbcpp.so` and stopping | The tarball install is manual and has more parts than the library: the **headers** (`include/mariadb/`, including the `conncpp/` and `conncpp/compat/` subdirectories) and, most easily forgotten, the **plugin directory** (`lib/mariadb/plugin/`). Skip the plugins and the library builds and links fine, then fails at run time on authentication |
| Uses `/usr/lib` on an RPM distribution | Path layout differs: **`/usr/lib64`** and `/usr/lib64/mariadb/plugin` on CentOS, RHEL, and Rocky Linux; **`/usr/lib`** and `/usr/lib/mariadb/plugin` on Debian and Ubuntu |
| Links `-lmariadbcpp` but includes a Connector/C header | The public C++ header is **`mariadb/conncpp.hpp`**; the library is **`mariadbcpp`**. Including `mysql.h` pulls in the C API instead, and mixing the two in one translation unit is not the intended usage |
| Compiles with a pre-C++11 standard, or with `-std=c++98` inherited from an old project | The connector is built as **C++11** and its headers require it. Compile the application with `-std=c++11` or later |
| Installs on Windows and expects the loader to find the DLL | Add the directory containing the `mariadbcpp` library (for example `C:\Program Files\MariaDB\MariaDB C++ Connector 64-bit`) to the **`PATH`** environment variable |
| Assumes the connector reads `my.cnf` on its own | Configuration reaches the connector through **connection properties** and through Connector/C underneath it — nothing is read from an option file unless that is arranged at the Connector/C level |
| Treats the plugin directory as optional when packaging a container image | It is part of the deployable. Ship `mariadb/plugin/` alongside the library, or point the connector at it, or authentication plugins the server asks for will not load |
| Pins Connector/C++ to the MariaDB server version | There is no such correspondence. Pin Connector/C++ and Connector/C to each other using the compatibility rule above, independently of the server |

## Installing

### Linux, from RPM or DEB packages

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

```bash
# 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:

```bash
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

```bash
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

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

```cpp
#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:

```cpp
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

```cpp
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>

<sub>_This page is: Copyright © 2026 MariaDB. All rights reserved._</sub>