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Database Access Configuration

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    # Database Access Configuration

    • phpMyAdmin Installation
      • Installation Process
      • Command Parameters Explained
      • Optional Parameters
    • Accessing phpMyAdmin
      • Web Access
      • Custom Port Configuration
    • Database Connection Troubleshooting
      • Common Connection Issues
      • Database Credentials
    • Container Management
      • Managing the phpMyAdmin Container
    • Security Considerations
      • Access Control
      • Temporary Access
    • Alternative Database Access
      • Command Line Access
      • Database Backup
    • Common Issues
      • phpMyAdmin Not Loading
      • Database Connection Failed
      • Performance Issues
    • Getting Help

    This guide covers advanced database access configuration for PanelAlpha, including setting up phpMyAdmin and troubleshooting database connectivity issues.

    # phpMyAdmin Installation

    phpMyAdmin provides a web-based interface for managing your PanelAlpha database.

    # Installation Process

    1. Access your server via SSH with root privileges:
      ssh root@your-server-ip
    2. Install phpMyAdmin using Docker:
      docker run --name appphpmyadmin -d --link app-database-api-1 -p 7070:80 --network app_default -e PMA_HOST=database-api.palocal phpmyadmin

    # Command Parameters Explained

    • --name appphpmyadmin: Sets the container name for easy management
    • -d: Runs the container in detached mode (background)
    • --link app-database-api-1: Links to the PanelAlpha database container
    • -p 7070:80: Maps phpMyAdmin to port 7070 on your server
    • --network app_default: Uses the PanelAlpha Docker network
    • -e PMA_HOST=database-api.palocal: Sets the database host

    # Optional Parameters

    You can add the --rm parameter for temporary access:

    docker run --rm --name appphpmyadmin -d --link app-database-api-1 -p 7070:80 --network app_default -e PMA_HOST=database-api.palocal phpmyadmin

    --rm: Automatically removes the container when stopped. Use this for temporary database access.

    # Accessing phpMyAdmin

    # Web Access

    1. Open your web browser.
    2. Navigate to: http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:7070
    3. Use your database credentials to log in.

    Example: If your server IP is 192.168.1.100, access: http://192.168.1.100:7070

    # Custom Port Configuration

    If port 7070 is already in use, change it to an available port:

    # Using port 8080 instead
docker run --name appphpmyadmin -d --link app-database-api-1 -p 8080:80 --network app_default -e PMA_HOST=database-api.palocal phpmyadmin

    # Database Connection Troubleshooting

    # Common Connection Issues

    # Container Not Found

    Error: Cannot link to container

    Solution:

    1. Verify the database container is running:
      docker ps | grep database
    2. Check the correct container name:
      docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}"

    # Port Already in Use

    Error: Port 7070 is already allocated

    Solution:

    1. Check which process is using the port:
      netstat -tulpn | grep 7070
    2. Use a different port or stop the conflicting service.

    # Network Issues

    Error: Cannot connect to network

    Solution:

    1. Verify the Docker network exists:
      docker network ls | grep app_default
    2. Restart the PanelAlpha containers if needed.

    # Database Credentials

    Default database connection details for the PanelAlpha application database:

    • Host:Port: database-api.palocal:3306 (internal Docker network hostname)
    • Username: panelalpha (the DB_USERNAME key in /opt/panelalpha/app/.env-api)
    • Password: the value of API_MYSQL_PASSWORD from /opt/panelalpha/app/.env. This password is injected into the containers by docker-compose; in .env-api the DB_PASSWORD= field is intentionally left empty.
    • Database: panelalpha

    To connect from outside the containers, use the database-api service directly:

    docker compose -f /opt/panelalpha/app/docker-compose.yml exec database-api mariadb -u panelalpha -p

    Note: The phpMyAdmin instance shipped with PanelAlpha is used for SSO access to customer databases hosted on hosting servers — it is not intended for managing the PanelAlpha application's own database. Use the CLI command above for application database access.

    # Container Management

    # Managing the phpMyAdmin Container

    Start the container:

    docker start appphpmyadmin

    Stop the container:

    docker stop appphpmyadmin

    Remove the container:

    docker rm appphpmyadmin

    View container logs:

    docker logs appphpmyadmin

    # Security Considerations

    # Access Control

    1. Restrict access by IP address if possible.
    2. Use firewall rules to limit port 7070 access.
    3. Remove phpMyAdmin when not needed for security.
    4. Use strong database passwords.

    # Temporary Access

    For security, consider using the --rm flag for temporary database access:

    # Temporary access - container removes itself when stopped
docker run --rm --name temp-phpmyadmin -d --link app-database-api-1 -p 7070:80 --network app_default -e PMA_HOST=database-api.palocal phpmyadmin

    # Alternative Database Access

    # Command Line Access

    Access the database directly via command line:

    # Access MySQL/MariaDB directly
docker compose -f /opt/panelalpha/app/docker-compose.yml exec database-api mysql -u root -p

    # Database Backup

    Create database backups for troubleshooting:

    # Create a database backup
docker compose -f /opt/panelalpha/app/docker-compose.yml exec database-api mysqldump -u root -p panelalpha > backup.sql

    # Common Issues

    # phpMyAdmin Not Loading

    Problem: The phpMyAdmin interface does not load in the browser when accessing it through PanelAlpha.

    Solution:

    1. Check if the container is running: docker ps
    2. Verify port accessibility: telnet your-server-ip 7070
    3. Check container logs: docker logs appphpmyadmin

    # Database Connection Failed

    Problem: PanelAlpha or phpMyAdmin cannot connect to the database, causing errors during operations.

    Solution:

    1. Verify the database container is running.
    2. Check network connectivity between containers.
    3. Verify database credentials.

    # Performance Issues

    Problem: phpMyAdmin or database operations are slow or unresponsive, especially with large datasets.

    Solution:

    1. Allocate more resources to the phpMyAdmin container.
    2. Check server resource usage.
    3. Consider using command-line tools for large operations.

    # Getting Help

    If you encounter database access issues:

    1. Check the Common Error Solutions guide.
    2. Review Docker and database logs for error messages.
    3. Contact our support team (opens new window) for assistance.