Locating a MySQL image in the Docker registry begins with a filtered search to distinguish official repositories from third-party forks:

docker search mysql \
  --filter "is-official=true" \
  --filter "stars=1000" \
  --no-trunc

The --filter flags limit results to verified, highly-used projects, and --no-trunc displays complete descriptions. Keep in mind that this command lists repository summraies rather than every available tag. Identify the exact release you require—common examples include 8.0, 8.4, or 9.0—by reviewing the official Docker Hub tags page.

Once you have determined the target release, pull that specific image reference:

TARGET_TAG="8.0"
docker pull mysql:${TARGET_TAG}

After the download completes, confirm the image is present in your local environment:

docker images mysql --format "table {{.Repository}}\t{{.Tag}}\t{{.Size}}"

This verifies the exact version is ready for container creation.