Creating MySQL databases

Most apps you'd run on hosting (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, custom PHP) need a database. Creating one takes a minute.

Create a database

1. Go to Services → click your hosting → Databases tile.
2. Click Create database.
3. Enter a name. Most hosts prefix it with your account username automatically (e.g., youraccount_wordpress).
4. Click Create.

The database is ready immediately, but it's empty and has no users yet.

Create a database user

1. On the same Databases tile, click Create user.
2. Enter a username (also typically prefixed automatically).
3. Set a strong password.
4. Click Create.

Grant the user access to the database

1. On the MySQL Databases tile, click Add user to database (or similar).
2. Pick the user and the database.
3. Grant All privileges for typical apps. For more locked-down setups, pick specific privileges (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, etc.).
4. Save.

The user now has access to the database. You can use these credentials in your application.

Connection details

When your application asks for database connection info, use:

• Host: localhost (your app runs on the same server as the database)
• Database name: youraccount_dbname (whatever you named it, with the prefix)
• Username: youraccount_username
• Password: the one you set
• Port: 3306 (default; only specify if your app needs it)

For WordPress's wp-config.php:

define('DB_NAME', 'youraccount_wordpress');
define('DB_USER', 'youraccount_wpuser');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your-password-here');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

phpMyAdmin

For browsing and managing the database visually, phpMyAdmin is one click from the portal:

1. Go to Services → click hosting.
2. Find the phpMyAdmin SSO tile.
3. Click. We sign you in automatically.

phpMyAdmin lets you run SQL queries, browse tables, import/export databases, and manage users.

Backups

We back up your databases nightly as part of the standard hosting backup. You can also export from phpMyAdmin manually:

1. Open the database in phpMyAdmin.
2. Click Export.
3. Pick "Quick" or "Custom" — Quick gets you a .sql file in seconds.
4. Save it locally.

To restore: phpMyAdmin → Import → upload the .sql file.

For larger databases (>100MB), the backup tools in cPanel are faster than phpMyAdmin's web export. Or schedule regular exports via cron.

Connecting from outside

By default, only localhost connections are allowed — your application running on the same server. If you need to connect from outside (a developer running queries from their laptop, an analytics tool elsewhere):

1. Allow remote MySQL in cPanel under "Remote MySQL."
2. Add the IP that needs access. You can use % to allow any IP, but that's a security risk; prefer specific IPs.
3. Use the public hostname (your server's hostname, not localhost) when connecting.

Generally we'd recommend not exposing MySQL publicly — use SSH tunneling or a VPN to reach the database instead.

Limits

How many databases you can have depends on your plan:

• Most shared plans: no fixed database cap on most plans.
• WordPress hosting: typically 5–10.
• VPS: unlimited.

The exact number is on your plan's spec sheet.