3 Easy Ways To Create WordPress Database

Are you building a locally hosted website? Are you developing a staging environment? Maybe you’re simply setting up a brand-new site from scratch. Whatever the reason, creating a WordPress database is the next step you need to take. 

Fortunately, creating a new WordPress database isn’t as intimidating as it seems. With the right tools, you can quickly do so. In this article, we’ll walk step-by-step through exactly how to create a database. 

TL;DR: A database is a critical part of managing WordPress website. To create WordPress database easily, assign it a database user with proper permissions, and securely note the database name, username, and password. Finally, add these credentials to your wp-config.php file.

Before creating a WordPress database

Before diving into database creation, you need to be prepared. Let’s go over what you’ll need to check off first.

• Web hosting: You’ll need a pick a web hosting provider that supports WordPress. Make sure your hosting plan can handle WordPress databases.
• Database server: Ensure the hosting service provides access to a database server that supports MySQL. WordPress uses MySQL as its database management system. Your server must support PHP, as WordPress works on PHP scripts. Without this, your WordPress installation won’t function.
• Database user and password: Set up a username and a strong password to securely access your database. Decide on a name for your database. It’s best to pick something unique and specific to your site. You’ll need to know your host information. For many users, this is “localhost,” but your hosting provider may assign a different host name.

You also need a tool like cPanel or phpMyAdmin. We’ll go over how to use these tools in the next section.

How to create WordPress database

In this section, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a database for WordPress. You can use a web host, cPanel or phpMyAdmin to do so. We’ll provide clear instructions to help you get it done.

Using cPanel

cPanel is an incredible tool to take backups, manage files, etc. Most web hosts offer cPanel out of the box. If yours does, here’s what you do:

1. Access your hosting account and log in to cPanel. Most hosting providers will give you the link to the cPanel dashboard.
2. Look for Manage My Databases under the Databases section in cPanel. Click on it.
3. Scroll to the Create New Database section. Type in a name for your database. Keep it unique and easy to identify (e.g., mywebsite_db).
4. Click Create Database.

5. Scroll down to the MySQL Users section. Enter a username and set a strong password. Use the Password Generator for increased security if available.
6. Click Create User once you’ve set the username and password.

7. Scroll to the Add User to Database section. Select the database and the user you just created from the dropdown menus.

8. Click Add, then assign All Privileges on the next screen and save.

Using phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a database management tool. You can use it to backup your database, export, import and more. It’s an easy way to create a new database and here are the steps:

1. Access your phpMyAdmin through your host’s control panel (e.g., cPanel or Plesk) or directly via the provided URL.
2. In the phpMyAdmin interface, click on the Databases tab at the top.
3. In the Create database section, type the name of your new database (e.g., mywebsite_db).

4. Select the database collation. It’s generally safe to choose utf8mb4_general_ci, as it works well with WordPress.
5. Click Create.

phpMyAdmin doesn’t let you directly create users. You’ll need to go back to your cPanel or hosting control panel to create a user and assign it to this database. Follow steps 5 and 6 from the cPanel guide above to create a user, set permissions, and assign it to the database.

Using your webhost

Some web hosts will help you create your database from their interface. For this article, we’ll be using DreamHost but the process will vary depending on your host. 

1. Login to your DreamHost account.
2. Click Manage Websites in the left panel.
3. Then, click MySQL Databases in the drop down menu. 

4. Add your hostname, username and password. 
5. Click Add new database now. 

After you create WordPress database

Now that you’ve created your database, there are a few more steps you need to do to connect your site files to it. You have to edit the wp-config.php file. You can do this using your cPanel file manager or an FTP client like Cyberduck. We’re using the File Manager for this section and here’s how:

1. Login to your cPanel account
2. Find File Manager in the Files section
3. Select your root folder, often called public_html
4. Find the wp-config.php file
5. Look for the following code:

define('DB_NAME', 'database_name_here');
define('DB_USER', 'username_here');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

6. Add the following information:

DB_NAME: Enter the name of your database.

DB_USER: Enter the username you created for the database.

DB_PASSWORD: Enter the password for the database user.

DB_HOST: Enter the database host, which is usually “localhost.” If your hosting provider uses a different database host, enter that instead.

7. Save the file

Best practices in managing WordPress databases

Your WordPress database is the backbone of your site, containing all your posts, user data, and settings. Keeping it secure and optimized is critical for the health and safety of your website. Below are some best practices that every website admin should follow when managing a WordPress database:

• Use strong passwords: Ensure the password for your database user is strong and complex. Avoid using easily guessable passwords. Instead, use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. This makes it harder for unauthorized users to access your database.
• Limit user privileges: Assign only the necessary privileges to your database user. For example, if your user only needs to read and write data, avoid granting privileges like DROP or ALTER. This limits potential damage if the credentials are compromised.
• Set up regular backups: Always keep regular database backups. Use tools like BlogVault or MalCare to automate these backups. This ensures you have a restore point in case of accidental deletion, corruption, or server issues.
• Secure database access: Restrict access to the database only to your web server or specific IP addresses. This minimizes the chances of unauthorized users connecting to your database remotely. You can enforce this in your hosting control panel or server settings.
• Monitor database activity: Periodically check database logs and queries to identify suspicious activity. If you notice unusual query patterns or unauthorized login attempts, investigate immediately to address any vulnerabilities.
• Keep software updated: Outdated software opens doors to potential exploits. Regularly update WordPress, plugins, and themes, as well as your database management system (like MySQL), to the latest stable versions. Updates often include important security patches.
• Use SSL/TLS connections: Enable SSL/TLS for connections between your web server and database. This ensures that sensitive data, such as login credentials, is encrypted during transmission, reducing the risk of interception.
• Conduct periodic audits: Perform regular audits of your database configuration and security settings. Check for unused databases or users, outdated entries, and weak spots in your security setup. Address any discrepancies you find.

Final thoughts

Setting up and managing a WordPress database may seem overwhelming at first, but with the right guidance, it becomes a straightforward process. Your database is the heart of your website—it holds everything from your posts to your site settings. Taking steps to secure and maintain it is crucial for the long-term success of your site.

Using tools like BlogVault to backup and update your site can help you manage your site better. BlogVault offers reliable, offsite backups and easy, one-click restores. There are also features like a staging site and visual monitoring to help you take safe updates. This way, your website is easy to manage well.

FAQs

Can I create a database on WordPress?

WordPress itself does not create or manage databases for you. Instead, it connects to a database that you need to create beforehand. While installing WordPress, you provide the database details (like name, username, password, and host) in the wp-config.php file. You can use tools like cPanel, phpMyAdmin, or the command line to create the required database for WordPress.

How to create database tables for WordPress?

WordPress automatically creates the necessary database tables during its installation process. Once you connect WordPress to a new database in the wp-config.php file and run the installation, WordPress will create all standard tables like wp_posts, wp_users, wp_options, and more. If you need additional tables for custom purposes, you can manually create them via phpMyAdmin or programmatically using custom SQL queries in your WordPress theme or plugin files.

Is WordPress good for databases?

Yes, WordPress is excellent for managing databases of small to medium-sized websites, blogs, or e-commerce stores. It uses MySQL (or MariaDB) as its default database system, which is robust, scalable, and well-integrated with WordPress. For larger-scale projects, you might need to implement optimization techniques like caching or using database-focused plugins to maintain performance.

How to create a database for WordPress in localhost?

Creating a database for WordPress in a localhost environment (e.g., using XAMPP, WAMP, or MAMP) is simple:

1. Launch phpMyAdmin by accessing http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ in your browser.
2. Go to the “Databases” tab.
3. In the “Create database” section, enter a database name (e.g., wordpress_db).
4. Select utf8mb4_general_ci as the collation for compatibility with WordPress.
5. Click “Create”.

Once done, provide the database name, username (root by default), and password (empty by default for local environments) in the WordPress wp-config.php file during the installation. That’s it—your WordPress site is ready to use the localhost database!