> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.monolithforensics.com/monolith/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.monolithforensics.com/monolith/monolith-features/on-premises-deployments/using-external-mysql-database.md).

# Using External MySQL Database

To use an external database instead of using the MySQL Docker container that is included with the default Monolith deployment, just set the following values in the .env file to the connection details for your external MySQL database:

```
MONOLITH_DB_NAME=
MONOLITH_DB_USER=
MONOLITH_DB_PORT=
MONOLITH_DB_HOST=
MONOLITH_DB_PASSWORD=
```