How to create a database from shell command in MySQL?

You mean while the mysql environment?

create database testdb;

Or directly from command line:

mysql -u root -e "create database testdb"; 

If you create a new database it's good to create user with permissions only for this database (if anything goes wrong you won't compromise root user login and password). So everything together will look like this:

mysql -u base_user -pbase_user_pass -e "create database new_db; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON new_db.* TO new_db_user@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'new_db_user_pass'"

Where:
base_user is the name for user with all privileges (probably the root)
base_user_pass it's the password for base_user (lack of space between -p and base_user_pass is important)
new_db is name for newly created database
new_db_user is name for the new user with access only for new_db
new_db_user_pass it's the password for new_db_user

mysqladmin -u$USER -p$PASSWORD create $DB_NAME

Replace above variables and you are good to go with this oneliner. $USER is the username, $PASSWORD is the password and $DB_NAME is the name of the database.

Use

$ mysqladmin -u <db_user_name> -p create <db_name>

You will be prompted for password. Also make sure the mysql user you use has privileges to create database.

The ist and 2nd answer are good but if anybody is looking for having a script or If you want dynamic i.e (db/username/password in variable) then here:

#!/bin/bash



DB="mydb"
USER="user1"
PASS="pass_bla"

mysql -uroot -prootpassword -e "CREATE DATABASE $DB CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci";
mysql -uroot -prootpassword -e "CREATE USER $USER@'127.0.0.1' IDENTIFIED BY '$PASS'";
mysql -uroot -prootpassword -e "GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON $DB.* TO '$USER'@'127.0.0.1'";

You can use SQL on the command line:

echo 'CREATE DATABASE dbname;' | mysql <...>

Or you can use mysqladmin:

mysqladmin create dbname

Connect to DB using base user: mysql -u base_user -pbase_user_pass And execute CREATE DATABASE, CREATE USER and GRANT PRIVILEGES Statements.

Here's handy web wizard to help you with statements www.bugaco.com/helpers/create_database.html

For example, after login, you can create apple database as shown below:

CREATE DATABASE apple;

And, before login, you can create apple database as shown below. *CREATE ... with "" and without ; is also available:

mysql -u root -p -e 'CREATE DATABASE apple;'

Or:

mysql -u root -p --execute='CREATE DATABASE apple;'