How to List Tables in a MySQL Database

Listing tables in MySQL is a crucial and routine operation necessary for understanding a database’s structure, performing maintenance and debugging, and manipulating data. Here, we’ll walk through how to list tables in MySQL.

To list all tables in a specific MySQL database:

1. Log into your MySQL server using the MySQL GUI tool or via the command line. Use the following command where the “-u” option specifies the username and the “-p” option prompts for a password:

mysql -u root -p

Replace root with your username.

2. If you know the name of your database, proceed to step #3. If you don’t, run the following command:

SHOW DATABASES;

3. Select the database from which you want to list the tables using the following command:

USE your_database_name;

Replace your_database_name with the name of the database you want to use.

4.  List all tables in the database using the “SHOW TABLES” command:

SHOW TABLES;

Executing this command will show a list of all tables present in the selected database.

Note. If you want to obtain additional information about a particular table, such as its structure, including column names, data types, and default values, use the following command:

DESCRIBE table_name;

Replace table_name with the name of the table you want to explore.

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