diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index bee7a3f..bf93968 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ MAINTAINER Christian Lück <christian@lueck.tv>
 
 RUN DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
   nginx git supervisor php5-fpm php5-cli php5-curl php5-gd php5-json \
-  php5-pgsql
-# php5-mysql
+  php5-pgsql php5-mysql && apt-get clean
 
 # add ttrss as the only nginx site
 ADD ttrss.nginx.conf /etc/nginx/sites-available/ttrss
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fdbabda..b152ac6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -110,6 +110,37 @@ following additional arguments:
 -e DB_ENV_PASS=docker
 ```
 
+#### Running with external database server
+
+If you already have a PostgreSQL or MySQL server around off docker you also can go with
+that.  Instead of linking docker containers you need to provide database hostname, port,
+database name and user credentials manually like so:
+
+```
+-e DB_HOST=172.17.42.1
+-e DB_PORT=3306
+-e DB_NAME=ttrss
+-e DB_USER=ttrssuser
+-e DB_PASS=ttrsspass
+```
+
+If your database is exposed on a non-standard port you also need to provide DB_TYPE set
+to either "pgsql" or "mysql".
+
+#### Running with mysql database server
+
+If you'd like to use ttrss with a mysql database backend, simply use the additional
+database configuration arguments to docker mentioned above.
+
+You also might want to link ttrss container to a mysql container.  If the mysql server
+is exposed on port 3306 it will be detected automatically, otherwise you need to specify
+DB_TYPE env flag.
+
+```bash
+$ sudo docker run -name mysql -d sameersbn/mysql:latest
+$ sudo docker run -it --link mysql:db -p 80:80 clue/ttrss
+```
+
 #### Running ttrss daemonized
 
 Once you've confirmed everything works in the foreground, you can start your container
diff --git a/configure-db.php b/configure-db.php
index 2cc0807..a291045 100644
--- a/configure-db.php
+++ b/configure-db.php
@@ -2,18 +2,49 @@
 <?php
 
 $ename = 'DB';
-$eport = 5432;
 $confpath = '/var/www/config.php';
 
-// check DB_NAME, which will be set automatically for a linked "db" container
-if (!env($ename . '_PORT', '')) {
+$config = array();
+
+if(getenv($ename . '_TYPE') !== false) {
+    $config['DB_TYPE'] = getenv($ename . '_TYPE');
+}
+elseif(getenv($ename . '_PORT_5432_TCP_ADDR') !== false) {
+    // postgres container linked
+    $config['DB_TYPE'] = 'pgsql';
+    $eport = 5432;
+}
+elseif(getenv($ename . '_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR') !== false) {
+    // mysql container linked
+    $config['DB_TYPE'] = 'mysql';
+    $eport = 3306;
+}
+
+if(!empty($eport)) {
+    $config['DB_HOST'] = env($ename . '_PORT_' . $eport . '_TCP_ADDR');
+    $config['DB_PORT'] = env($ename . '_PORT_' . $eport . '_TCP_PORT');
+}
+elseif(getenv($ename . '_PORT') === false) {
     error('The env ' . $ename .'_PORT does not exist. Make sure to run with "--link mypostgresinstance:' . $ename . '"');
 }
+elseif(is_numeric(getenv($ename . '_PORT')) && getenv($ename . '_HOST') !== false) {
+    // numeric DB_PORT provided; assume port number passed directly
+    $config['DB_HOST'] = env($ename . '_HOST');
+    $config['DB_PORT'] = env($ename . '_PORT');
 
-$config = array();
-$config['DB_TYPE'] = 'pgsql';
-$config['DB_HOST'] = env($ename . '_PORT_' . $eport . '_TCP_ADDR');
-$config['DB_PORT'] = env($ename . '_PORT_' . $eport . '_TCP_PORT');
+    if(empty($config['DB_TYPE'])) {
+        switch($config['DB_PORT']) {
+        case 3306:
+            $config['DB_TYPE'] = 'mysql';
+            break;
+        case 5432:
+            $config['DB_TYPE'] = 'pgsql';
+            break;
+        default:
+            error('Database on non-standard port '.$config['DB_PORT'].' and env ' . $ename .'_TYPE not present');
+        }
+    }
+}
 
 // database credentials for this instance
 //   database name (DB_NAME) can be supplied or detaults to "ttrss"
@@ -36,8 +67,16 @@ if (!dbcheck($config)) {
     $super['DB_PASS'] = env($ename . '_ENV_PASS', $super['DB_USER']);
     
     $pdo = dbconnect($super);
-    $pdo->exec('CREATE ROLE ' . ($config['DB_USER']) . ' WITH LOGIN PASSWORD ' . $pdo->quote($config['DB_PASS']));
-    $pdo->exec('CREATE DATABASE ' . ($config['DB_NAME']) . ' WITH OWNER ' . ($config['DB_USER']));
+
+    if($super['DB_TYPE'] == 'mysql') {
+        $pdo->exec('CREATE DATABASE ' . ($config['DB_NAME']));
+        $pdo->exec('GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ' . ($config['DB_NAME']) . '.* TO ' . $pdo->quote($config['DB_USER']) . '@"%" IDENTIFIED BY ' . $pdo->quote($config['DB_PASS']));
+    }
+    else {
+        $pdo->exec('CREATE ROLE ' . ($config['DB_USER']) . ' WITH LOGIN PASSWORD ' . $pdo->quote($config['DB_PASS']));
+        $pdo->exec('CREATE DATABASE ' . ($config['DB_NAME']) . ' WITH OWNER ' . ($config['DB_USER']));
+    }
+
     unset($pdo);
     
     if (dbcheck($config)) {
@@ -89,14 +128,14 @@ function error($text)
 
 function dbconnect($config)
 {
-    $map = array('host' => 'HOST', 'port' => 'PORT', 'dbname' => 'NAME', 'user' => 'USER', 'password' => 'PASS');
+    $map = array('host' => 'HOST', 'port' => 'PORT', 'dbname' => 'NAME');
     $dsn = $config['DB_TYPE'] . ':';
     foreach ($map as $d => $h) {
         if (isset($config['DB_' . $h])) {
             $dsn .= $d . '=' . $config['DB_' . $h] . ';';
         }
     }
-    $pdo = new \PDO($dsn);
+    $pdo = new \PDO($dsn, $config['DB_USER'], $config['DB_PASS']);
     $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
     return $pdo;
 }