How to create a database and an user in cPanel

[dojo]

This tutorial might seem pretty simple and obvious for many advanced webmasters, but some beginners might have some problems. And since I remember I was a bit stuck on this years ago too, why not make things clear for anyone?

When do we need to do this? Everytime we install a forum or a CMS that requires an empty database being already created for the install process.

In order to create the database and user in cPanel, you need to have cPanel access. Please log in with the username and password provided by your host when creating the account.

Once you are on it, you need to look for a link called: MySQL Databases (its in the front page, among other icons and links). Now click on it.

If you have other databases already created, the forms to insert database and user are down on the page .. in the footer.

You will see a box and the caption: New Database:
Insert the database name you want. We'll put as an example the name: test

ATTENTION:

Your final database name wil not remain test (or the name you chose). If you look closer you will see that the cPanel assigned it with your cPanel username_database name. So, if our example cPanel username is designer for instance, my newly created database will be designer_test

Don't forget this trick, otherwise the script won't be able to see the database. Same with the user for the database.

But we create the user now:
I will take as example username: tester

We need to look for a form with 2 informations to be entered:
Username: tester (in my case)
Password: mypass (in my case). Please consider creating a complicated password with numbers and letters too.

Now hit: the Create User button.

I have the final username for the database: designer_tester (as I explained above) and the database password: mypass

We didn't finish !!!

This is one of our mistakes: we think it's over and then have the script installation tell us "cannot connect to the database". Why? Because our user doesn't have PRIVILEGES for the database.

Almost at the bottom of the page you will see:

Add Users To Your Databases:
Look for the username you created (designer_tester in my case) select it, and then select in the other box the database you created (designer_test in my case) ... hit "Add user to the database" button and you have finished.

ATTENTION: make sure you don't select another username or database (if you have others too) since the scripts you have already installed won't work anymore.

If you are careful enough and follow this simple tutorial you'll have a new database and a new user with all the prerogatives created in minutes.

Now, just go to your script installation and give the correct information:

My example info would look like:
Database name: designer_test
Database user: designer_tester
Database password: mypass

Hope that helps.

If you have any problems, please let us know and we'll give you the support you need.

[bdude]

Good tutorial

Minor spelling mistake in the title though.