Creating and Connecting to a MySQL Database in DirectAdmin

To use a MySQL database in DirectAdmin, you create the database and its user in Account Manager › Databases, then connect your website with host localhost, the full prefixed names and the user's password. This page is the short DirectAdmin version: creating the database, changing a user's privileges, opening phpMyAdmin and connecting from PHP.

1. Create the database and user

DirectAdmin adds your account username as a prefix. If your username is acme and you type shop, the real database name is acme_shop, and your website must use that full name.

If you install WordPress or another app with Softaculous, which is installed on our DirectAdmin servers, the installer creates the database and user for you. You need the manual steps only for custom code, a migration or a manual install.

2. Change a user's privileges or password

On the Databases page, click the database name. From there you can add another user to the database, change a user's password, and tick or untick the privileges that user has.

• For WordPress, WooCommerce and most PHP applications, give the user all privileges on that application's own database. The application creates and changes its own tables during installs and updates.
• Give fewer privileges only when a user needs limited access, for example SELECT alone for a tool that only reads data.

If you change a password, update your website's configuration file straight away, or the site shows a database error until you do.

3. Open phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is included on our DirectAdmin plans. Open it with the phpMyAdmin button on DirectAdmin's Databases page, and sign in with a database user and password if it asks. Use it to browse tables, run SQL queries, and import or export .sql files.

The PHP upload limit on our DirectAdmin servers is 64 MB (measured September 2026), which caps how large a file you can import through phpMyAdmin. For a bigger database, compress the export, split it, or ask support. Guides: how to access and manage your MySQL database with phpMyAdmin and how to back up a MySQL database using phpMyAdmin.

4. Connect from PHP

Keep the credentials in a file outside public_html, switch on exceptions, and never print the connection error on the page. The error message can show your database user name to visitors.

<?php
$dsn = 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=acme_shop;charset=utf8mb4';
$options = [
    PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE            => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION,
    PDO::ATTR_DEFAULT_FETCH_MODE => PDO::FETCH_ASSOC,
];

try {
    $pdo = new PDO($dsn, 'acme_shopuser', 'your-database-password', $options);
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    error_log('Database connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
    http_response_code(500);
    exit('Sorry, the site is having a problem. Please try again later.');
}

The host is localhost because the website and the database are on the same server. For mysqli, a separate config file and prepared statements, see connecting to a MySQL database with PHP code in cPanel and DirectAdmin.

5. Quick fixes

• Access denied for user: the name is missing its prefix, the password is wrong, or the user has no privileges on that database.
• Unknown database: use the full prefixed name exactly as the Databases page shows it.
• Connection timed out from your computer: port 3306 is closed from outside; use phpMyAdmin or an SSH tunnel.

A quick test: if you can sign in to phpMyAdmin with the same user and password, the details are right and the problem is in your configuration. More fixes are in database troubleshooting.

6. Where Domain India fits

Every Domain India DirectAdmin plan includes MySQL databases and phpMyAdmin: 5 databases on DA Starter, 10 on DA Growth and 50 on DA Business. Accounts are backed up weekly with JetBackup 5, and you can restore a database yourself from JetBackup in the panel. The card shows the live price, excluding 18% GST.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to set up your site? Compare DirectAdmin hosting plans, read the full MySQL connection guide, or open a support ticket if your database still won't connect.