What is Install phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a Database Administration apparatus, utilized for dealing with the MySQL and MariaDB data sets, and it is accessible on the phpMyAdmin site for cost-free as an open-source programming application. It was initially written in the PHP prearranging language, to work around more than one data set and related servers. This instrument is known for its exceptional highlights like the arrangement to import and produce different designed documents, a web interface, QBE or question as a visual cue, worldwide inquiry wizard, information base administration, and to look after the current advancement for boundaries like CPU utilization, data set association range, ongoing reports, and so forth

Pre-requisites

To introduce the phpMyAdmin device, clearly, one requirements to have the ideal data set introduced in their PC. It helps when the data set servers are associated and the phpMyAdmin is empowered, to play out the information base administration exercises. The essentials are the main part, which should be dealt with before really utilizing the phpMyAdmin apparatus. Holding this under wraps prompts the continuous legitimate working of the usage of this instrument, as the minor errors can be debilitating and tedious in the hour of need.

There are two different ways for introducing the phpMyAdmin device, and the two of them need to have the data set introduced in the PC being introducing this apparatus. The following are the couple of different essentials as for the establishment processes utilized.

• With the Apache Server: In this process, the Apache server, the PHP, and the MySQL database are the softwares that are required to be installed beforehand, that is, before installing the actual phpMyAdmin tool to the same system.
• With the help of WAMP: When using the WAMP, the phpMyAdmin tool can be accessed via an existing server already installed in the computer, while it allows just the database management & administration processes.

Advantages & Disadvantages of phpMyAdmin

Below are the advantages and disadvantages of phpMyAdmin:

Advantages

Some of the advantages of using the phpMyAdminsystem application as a database administration tool are as below,

• Graceful maintenance operations, with no additional cost other than what will be spent for owning the database management systems itself.
• Supports and acts flexible for majority of the commonly used file formats, which comes in handy for documentation purposes while working on the database management systems.
• Separate panels for database manipulation, SQL query editing, status tracking, etc.
• Assists in displaying all the active plugins from the connected databases.

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages of using the phpMyAdmin system application as a database administration tool are as below:

• It cannot be used for any and all databases, as it supports only MySQL and MariaDB.
• Though it supports the classic servers and systems, its growth is not parallel to the technological growth of the current industry standards.

Features of phpMyAdmin

The below are the well –known special features of PHPMyAdmin database management tool:

1. The vigilant application interface is the most wanted characteristic of the phpMyAdmin tool, as it plays the role of letting the user interact with the application system. The tool consists of properties similar to MySQL, and a few such properties are options to browse through the databases already available in the network, to create new connection and enable the databases in the application, icons/ menu items to create tables, access tables, fetch the tables using the queries, retrieve the already created views, indexes, tables, etc.

2. It also allows to copy data/ tables from one location to another, delete the table contents, drop/ truncate the tables, update the tables and alter the data from the fields of the table, etc.

3. In terms of query management, phpMyAdmin lets the users to create the query using the query editing interface, space to copy paste queries from different locations into the query editor, the frequently used & important queries can be bookmarked for later usage, handle the remotely stored procedures, triggers& functions of the databases on the query editing interfaces, generating intricate queries in the form of Query-by-example, which are commonly known as QBE’s.

4. Another, most significant feature of the phpMyAdmin tool is the ‘Search’option. It aids the user to go through the whole database system and the connected nodes when the user prompts for a search operation using a key with respect to the content that needs to be found.

5. Any data obtained using this database management tool can be made over to store the results into the required format of the output file, including the SQL, XML, PDF, Excel, Word, CSV, and even the BLOB data(Binary Large Object data) in the form of an image or a downloadable hyperlink.

Installation Steps for phpMyAdmin

The Installation process and steps are different for the two different techniques of setting up a phpMyAdmin application on the computer. Below are the steps for working on the same.

1. With the Apache Server

• Step 1: Open the web browser and go to the link: https://www.phpmyadmin.net (Fig. 01) from there. Use the direct link, or google as ‘phpMyAdmin download’ and use the first link from the results.
• Step 2: The phpMyAdmin application website opens up (Fig. 02), to download the latest version of phpMyAdmin. Please note, the latest version is 5. 0. 2, as of June 2020.

This web page also contains the other details of the software, such as the detailed description, the databases compatible with the tool, an option for taking a demo of tool usage, an option to voluntarily donate the user’s desired amount for the free application, the extensive list of features that the tool is capable of performing, the hosts/ sponsors for creating this tool and the details of the previous version of the tool.

• Step 3: Click on the ‘Download’ button from the above web page (Fig. 03), the browser will prompt a pop up as below and a quick download of the ‘phpMyAdmin-5.0.2-all-languages.zip’ ZIP file will take place.
• Step 4: Save the file in the desired location in the computer system (Fig. 04), and extract the contents of the file by right-clicking & selecting the ‘Extract All’ option from the list (Fig. 05).
• Step 5: Now, as the next step, locate the ‘htdocs’ folder (Fig. 06) in the Apache files from the local memory, typically it will be in the C: (C drive). Copy the contents of the ‘phpMyAdmin’ folder (Fig. 07) after extraction and paste the same to the Apache ‘htdocs’ folder. And then, rename the destination folder to ‘phpMyAdmin’, so as to allow the database to locate the files with the name as an indicator.
• Step 6: Next step is to locate the ‘php.ini-production’ file (Fig. 08) from the PHP folder from the C: (C drive), and rename it into ‘php.ini’ (Fig. 09), as below, in order to make it easy for the phpMyAdmin tool to locate it when it is run,
• Step 7: For the next step, open the ‘php.ini’ with Notepad (Fig. 10), and edit the line with extension=php_mbstring.dll to remove the semicolon in that line and save the file, as it prevents phpMyAdmin to call in the PHP functions.
• Step 8: The phpMyAdmin tool is ready to use now, and if required one can test the same by navigating to ‘http://localhost’ for loading the phpMyAdmin tool’s homepage.

2. With the help of WAMP Servers

• Step 1: Open the web browser and go to the link: http://www.wampserver.com/en (Fig. 11) from there. Use the direct link, or google as ‘phpMyAdmin download’ and use the first link from the results.
• Step 2: Download the WAMPServer application from there, which is also available for free (Fig. 12). The homepage of WAMPserver also contains details of the software itself, along with the list and features of all the supporting plugins, extensions, public projects, and the aliases such as the phpMyAdmin tool (Fig. 13).
• Step 3:When the establishment is finished, the WAMPServer will show every one of the things that show up with the bundle, for example, in the underneath Fig. 14. As may be obvious, it is viewed overall bundle of practical material, which incorporates the server like the Apache and localhost application, the phpMyAdmin upheld information bases like MySQL and MariaDB, contains choices for bringing in and sending out practically all the normal record types and the Administration instruments like phpMyAdmin and Adminer. The WAMPServer logo can likewise be set under the windows notice enclose the taskbar that will be displayed as a hot pink W encompassed by a disengaged ring.

Conclusion

phpMyAdmin is an efficient tool that offers provisions for the database related processes like database management, database maintenance, and database administration, in addition to the other user interface related preferences. When an application uses MySQL, phpMyAdmin is the most resourceful method for enabling accessibility to the connected databases and their respective nodes.