Getting started with ZIP packages on Windows is very straightforward - this distribution includes pre-built database files that can be used right after unpacking the ZIP.

You can run mysqld.exe from the command prompt like this:

  cd <directory-where-zip-was-unpacked>
  bin\mysqld --console

However, running MariaDB from the command line in a user session like this covers only the simplest testing scenarios.

For MariaDB 5.2.6 and later, for any serious purpose, use mysql_install_db.exe to create database instances - it is more secure (disables anonymous user by default, allows setting root password during database creation), and more convenient (can create Windows service, supports user-specified data directory).

Note : Starting with MariaDB 10.4.3, a pre-built data directory is no longer provided, and users need to run mysql_install_db.exe to create a data directory.

For older MariaDB releases, you can follow the instructions in MySQL documentation on ZIP distributions - this describes the manual process for registering a service and securing the database.