Most content management systems need a database. In KeyHelp they are created and managed in the MySQL databases section, which also lists everything you already have — the database name, its user, the host, your description and its current size.
Creating a database
- Open the MySQL databases section.
- Click the button to add a database.
- Fill in the fields:
- Database name — either filled in automatically by the panel or set by you.
- Username — likewise automatic or your own choice.
- Description — a note to help you tell several databases apart later. Worth filling in: after a year and four databases, the generated names tell you nothing.
- Password — choose one or generate it.
- Confirm to create the database. It then appears in the list.
Note the database name, the user name and the password — you will need all three when installing your CMS. If the panel generated the names, copy them from the list rather than typing them from memory: generated names usually carry a prefix.
One database, one user
Give each database its own user rather than reusing one across several. If one site is compromised, the damage is then limited to its own database instead of extending to everything on the account.
Working with the contents
Use the phpMyAdmin link next to the database to open it in your browser: you can view and edit tables, run queries, and import or export data.
For a large dump, importing through the browser may fail on the upload size or the script time limit. Compress the dump first, and if it is still too large, open a ticket — importing it from the command line is quick and avoids the limits entirely.
Before you delete anything
Deleting a database is immediate and cannot be undone. Export it first, even if you are sure it is unused — the export takes seconds and is the only thing between a wrong click and lost data.
Connecting from outside the server
Remote access to MySQL is not open by default, and your CMS does not need it: applications on the same server connect through localhost. If you need external access for a local database client, open a ticket and tell us which addresses require it.
If a site reports that it cannot connect to its database, check the name, user and password in the CMS configuration file against what the panel shows — that mismatch is the cause in most cases.
