Installing and Connecting

Getting started with Oracle Database involves choosing an installation method, creating a database, and connecting with client tools. This lesson covers the most common approaches for developers and administrators.

---

Installation Options

Option	Best For	Notes
Oracle Database XE	Development and learning	Free, limited to 2 CPUs, 2 GB RAM, 12 GB user data
Oracle Database EE/SE2	Production workloads	Requires a licence
Oracle Cloud (Autonomous DB)	Cloud-native development	Always Free Tier available
Docker / Podman	Quick local environments	Official Oracle container images on GitHub
Oracle VirtualBox Appliance	Pre-built environments	Complete VM with database pre-installed

---

Installing Oracle Database XE on Linux

Prerequisites

• Oracle Linux 8/9, Red Hat 8/9, or compatible
• At least 2 GB RAM and 10 GB disk space

Steps

# 1. Install the Oracle XE RPM
sudo dnf install oracle-database-xe-21c-1.0-1.ol8.x86_64.rpm

# 2. Run the configuration script
sudo /etc/init.d/oracle-xe-21c configure

# 3. You will be prompted to set the SYS and SYSTEM passwords

# 4. Set environment variables
source /opt/oracle/product/21c/dbhomeXE/bin/oraenv