How can I install and run mysqlworkbench on a remote Ubuntu Server?

I'm new to Ubuntu. I set up (currently only for testing and deploy) a remote Ubuntu Server 16.04.03.

Is it possible to install mysqlworkbench? As far as I know, there isn't any GUI on Ubuntu Server.

I downloaded and installed it, but if I try to launch it I get this error:

(mysql-workbench-bin:25719): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display

1 Answer

For a GUI to work on Ubuntu server you'll need a desktop environment of your choice. LXDE for example is a lightweight one that won't load your server too much, it can simply be installed with:

sudo apt install lxde

However, your server will still be fully configurable via terminal only. For a Ubuntu server with graphical interface like Microsoft Windows Server you might want to look into Zentyal.

To remotely access a server I suggest to use remmina, see its homepage, Wiki and FAQ. If you connect to your server via ssh, there's the X-Forwarding function to display the gui of a program running on the remote server on your own screen. Use it like:

ssh -X user@server mysql-workbench &