[SOLVED] Ubuntu cron job mysql warning not to use password in command line, how to fix?

Issue

I am using a cron job to reset my database and each time the cron runs the line-

mysql -u USER -pPASSWORD -h localhost DBNAME < /var/www/SITEFOLDER/mysqldumpfile.sql

Ubuntu warns me not to use the password in the command line. How can I use the reset cron command without using the password in a text format and causing any security issues?

Solution

You can store user & password in a file, and give the path to that file when you use a mysql client.

mysql --defaults-file /path/to/some/file.cnf DBNAME < /var/www/SITEFOLDER/mysqldumpfile.sql

In the .cnf file, you can list user, password, host, and other connection parameters.

[client]
user = scott
password = tiger
host = localhost

See also https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.7/en/option-file-options.html

Answered By - Bill Karwin