How to remove MySQL completely with config and library files?

With the command:

sudo apt-get remove --purge mysql\*

you can delete anything related to packages named mysql. Those commands are only valid on debian / debian-based linux distributions (Ubuntu for example).

You can list all installed mysql packages with the command:

sudo dpkg -l | grep -i mysql

For more cleanup of the package cache, you can use the command:

sudo apt-get clean

Also, remember to use the command:

sudo updatedb

Otherwise the "locate" command will display old data.

To install mysql again, use the following command:

sudo apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev mysql-client

This will install the mysql client, libmysql and its headers files.

To install the mysql server, use the command:

sudo apt-get install mysql-server