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CPANEL

Creating a database and user (MySQL Database Wizard)

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IN SHORT

The cPanel MySQL Database Wizard on Flashcloud guides you through creating a database, adding a user, and assigning permissions in a single linear flow. It ensures you do not miss setting privileges. Always use the full prefixed names for your database and user when connecting applications to localhost on port 3306.

cPanel's MySQL Database Wizard walks you through creating a database, creating a user, and assigning that user to the database in a guided flow. This is similar to creating MySQL databases from the portal's MySQL Databases tile, with the steps forced into order so you can't create a database and forget the user, or vice versa. Use whichever one is already open when you need it.

Opening the wizard

The wizard lives in cPanel, not the portal. Open cPanel from your service: go to Services, click your hosting, and use the cPanel one-click login. Once inside, search for MySQL Database Wizard (or find it under Databases in the Classic theme; in the Meridian theme, use the top search).

Step 1: Create a database

Enter a name and click Next Step. On many cPanel accounts the name gets prefixed with your account username, so a database named shop may become something like youraccount_shop. You'll need the full prefixed name later when you connect an application to it.

Step 2: Create a database user

Enter a username and password. The same prefixing convention often applies to the username. Save this password somewhere you can retrieve it.

Step 3: Add the user to the database

This is the step the wizard exists for. Check the privileges the user needs. For a typical application, ALL PRIVILEGES is correct. If you're setting up a more locked-down connection, for example a reporting tool that should only ever run SELECT queries, pick individual privileges instead. Click Next Step to apply them.

Step 4: Done

The confirmation screen shows the database name, the username, and confirms the privileges were granted. At this point the database is live and the user can connect to it. There's nothing further to activate.

Connecting an application

Whatever you're pointing at this database, the connection details are the same regardless of whether you created it via the wizard or the portal:

  • Host: localhost
  • Database: the full prefixed name from step 1
  • Username: the full prefixed name from step 2
  • Password: the one you set in step 2
  • Port: 3306

For WordPress, that means editing wp-config.php:

define('DB_NAME', 'youraccount_shop');
define('DB_USER', 'youraccount_shopuser');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your-password-here');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Wizard vs. the portal's MySQL Databases tile

Both create the same kind of database on the same MySQL server. The difference is workflow: the wizard forces database, user, and privileges into one linear pass, which is useful if you're new to MySQL and don't want to forget a step. See the portal vs cPanel: what goes where for the broader pattern of when to reach for which.

Once a database exists, you can manage it visually with phpMyAdmin, also one click from your service page, to browse tables, run queries, and export or import data. For larger databases, see importing and exporting large databases for an SSH-based alternative.

When to contact support

If the wizard fails partway through, for example the database is created but the user creation step errors out, don't retry from scratch without checking first. You may end up with an orphaned database taking up a name you can't reuse until it's cleaned up. Open a ticket from the portal's Support section and a real person will sort out the leftover state.

Common questions

Where do I find the MySQL Database Wizard?

The wizard lives inside cPanel, not the portal. Go to Services, click your hosting, use the cPanel login, and search for MySQL Database Wizard.

Why does my database have extra text added to its name?

cPanel prefixes database and usernames with your account username. You must use this full prefixed name when connecting an application to the database.

Which privileges should I grant to my new database user?

Choose ALL PRIVILEGES for standard applications. Pick specific individual permissions only if you are configuring a restricted connection, like a reporting tool that only needs SELECT access.

What should I do if the wizard fails halfway through?

Open a ticket in the portal Support section immediately. Do not retry from scratch on your own, or you may lock up the database name with an orphaned record.

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