This article explains the basic operation of databases on Webhosting. If you need to export or import data, follow the instructions in Webhosting – Import and export a database in phpMyAdmin.
In this article, you will learn:
- What the database parameters are
- How to create a database
- How database user accounts work
- How to manage a database
- How to find out the database version
- Common problems
- Frequently asked questions
Database parameters
Each web hosting package includes an unlimited number of databases or MariaDB databases.
The basic database parameters on Webhosting are:
- Total database space of 1 GB for LowCost ⧉ web hosting, 2 GB for NoLimit ⧉, 5 GB for the Extra ⧉ variant)
- Creation and deletion via the customer administration
- Management via the phpMyAdmin ⧉ interface
Creating a database
To create a database, follow these instructions:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select the Hosting services Webhosting or WMS tab.
- Open the detail of the specific service.
- In the left menu, click the New database link.
- Name the database (max. 7 characters without diacritics), select or enter the recipient of the password e-mail, and click the create button.
Alternatively, you can create the database directly in the Webhosting detail by clicking the create new link in the Databases table.
After the database is created, the system sends the login details to the e-mail address entered when the service was ordered.
Database user accounts
You can access databases only from the web interface phpMyAdmin[pma] and from VEDOS web hosting servers. Databases are not accessible from outside or from other servers, and we do not allow this access in any way.
After a MariaDB database is created, you receive two login credentials:
- User admin (the login name starts with the letter a) has full rights to the database. Use this username to manage databases exclusively through the phpMyAdmin[pma] interface – unless absolutely necessary, do not connect to it from PHP.
- User web (the login name starts with the letter w) has limited rights: it can work with data, but cannot change table structure. Connect this user to the database from PHP.
Each database has these 2 users fixed. For security reasons, you cannot change these users' rights or add new users.
When entering database details in your PHP application, make sure you enter the following 4 details correctly (you can find them in the e-mail with information about the database creation, or in the database detail in the customer administration):
- database server name – in the form wmX.wedos.net or mdX.wedos.net, where X is a number
- database name
- login name
- password (watch out for any spaces before or after the password)
Database management
Changes made in the customer administration will take effect within 30 minutes.
You can enter database management in the customer administration in the following steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select the Hosting services Webhosting or WMS tab.
- Open the detail of the specific service.
- In the service detail, find the specific database and click the magnifying glass icon to open its detail.
Directly in the customer administration, you can:
Changing the database account password
If you change the password of the user through which your application logs in to the database, also make the corresponding change in the PHP code that accesses the database through this account using the password! If you leave the old password in the code, the database connection will not work.
You can change the password for each database account. In the Change password admin or Change password web table in the database detail, make the change and save it.
Deleting a database
Before deleting the database, we recommend backing up the data by exporting it according to this guide. Deleting the database will remove it completely and irreversibly, including all data it contains.
To delete the database, type the word DELETE in capital letters into the field in the Delete database box and confirm with the Delete database button.
After deletion, you cannot create a new database with the same name.
You can restore the data itself from your own or our backup, by importing it into the newly created database. You then connect the new database to the web application by editing its configuration.
Current database version
The highest possible MariaDB version is currently 10.11.16.
If the software that uses this database does not tell you the database version, you can verify it in:
Database version in the customer administration
You can obtain the database version (and other information about it) in the database detail by following these steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select Hosting services Webhosting or WMS.
- Select the service whose database you want to check from the list.
- In the service detail, in the Databases table, click the name of the selected database.
- In the database detail, verify the database version in the Database server item.
Database version in phpMyAdmin
In the phpMyAdmin interface, you can obtain the database version as follows:
- Log in to the phpMyAdmin ⧉ interface.
- Find the database version in the Database server panel.
Common problems
Common database problems include:
- Unsuitable database version
- Slow database
- Database unavailable from the Internet
- The web user does not have sufficient rights
- The website stopped working after a database change
- Accidentally deleted database
Unsuitable database version
Problem: The application requires a different type or version of database.
Solution: Our services typically do not support changing the database version.
Webhosting supports only MariaDB databases. Any other database system can be run only on your own server ⧉.
Slow database
Problem: The application requires a different type or version of database.
Cause: Database speed depends greatly on its size and the quality of indexing. A common cause is a missing primary database index.
Solution: Check whether the database contains unnecessary items, such as archive logs and other items that the website or its components do not actively use. Make sure that each table contains a primary index, and if necessary, update the indexing of the content as such.
More information can be found in the community article MySQL – performance optimization, indexes ⧉.
Database unavailable from the Internet
Problem: I cannot log in to the database from an application running with another provider or on my computer.
Cause: For security reasons, access to databases on Webhosting is limited only to WEDOS Webhosting and WMS services. We do not provide exceptions to this rule.
Solution: Use an application on Webhosting to manage databases (for example on a subdomain), or the phpMyAdmin ⧉ interface.
Insufficient rights of the web user
Problem: The application does not work properly when I log in to the database as the web user.
Cause: The application needs to use administrator account commands, for example table creation during the installation of a content management system.
Solution: Enter the administrator account details for the necessary period of time.
Website not working after a database change
Problem: After making changes to the database, the website stopped working.
Cause: The most common source of problems is changing the password in the administration, but not in the website configuration file. It may also be damage to or deletion of part of the database required for the website to run properly.
Solution: If you only changed the database password, update it in the configuration file of your application. You can find a community guide on how to make the change for common content management systems at this link ⧉. If you changed the database content and the website stopped working, import the backup.
Deleted database
Problem: We accidentally deleted the database.
Solution: There are two kinds of deleted databases:
- Restore deleted data from backup.
- A deleted database (according to the instructions in the chapter Deleting a database) cannot be restored as such. Create a new database (with a new name) and restore the data from backup into it. Then correct the access details in the application configuration file (you can find a community guide on how to make the change for common content management systems at this link ⧉).
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly do I set the new database access details in PHP?
It depends on your specific application. You can find an article containing database connection instructions for common content management systems in the community guide CMS content management systems and database connection ⧉. If you use another application, ask the application support or your webmaster.
What is the difference between MySQL / MariaDB?
MariaDB is a branch of MySQL. They are mutually compatible and most CMS platforms work fully with MariaDB. If your application requires MySQL, it should also work reliably with MariaDB and vice versa. On most DB servers, we already use only MariaDB without the possibility of change. If you strictly require MySQL, a VPS server ⧉ could be the solution. Alternatively, contact our customer support.
How do I find the database login details without the service setup e-mail?
You can find them in the configuration file of your PHP application that uses the database. If that is not possible, you will need to change the database password. Next to the password change form, you will also find a table with an overview of database access.