How to Connect to OCI Always Free MySQL DB via SSH Tunnel Without a VPN

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's Always Free MySQL DB System exposes only a private IP address by design, making direct external access impossible without additional configuration. A developer guide outlines how to install MySQL Shell on an Oracle Linux compute instance within the same Virtual Cloud Network as the database. Since MySQL Shell is not included in Oracle Linux's default repositories, users must manually add MySQL's Yum/DNF repository and enable the mysql-tools-community subrepository before installing. Once MySQL Shell is installed and a direct private-network connection is confirmed, an SSH tunnel can be created from a local laptop through the compute instance to the private database endpoint. This lightweight approach serves as a practical alternative to setting up a full VPN client, requiring only a single command to establish secure access.
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