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phpMyAdmin is a browser tool for working with MySQL or MariaDB databases. In this beginner guide, you will learn how to find its aaPanel installation, check its PHP runtime, understand its access settings, and prepare the correct database login.
Lab verification: Ubuntu 22.04.5, aaPanel Free Edition 8.0.6, phpMyAdmin 5.2 and MariaDB. Installation was completed with our original stack; management screens were checked again on 11 October 2026. phpMyAdmin uses PHP-84 while our website uses PHP 8.5. The panel's private launch currently requests an aaPanel vendor account login. Database browsing, import and export are not yet verified through that browser route.
Before you start: understand the three components - MariaDB/MySQL: The database server that stores your site's data.
- PHP: The runtime that executes phpMyAdmin and PHP applications.
- phpMyAdmin: A graphical tool that connects to the database server. It does not replace that server.
A website can use its database without phpMyAdmin being installed. Installing phpMyAdmin also does not create a WordPress database or a database user automatically.
You need: Access to your aaPanel, an installed database server, a compatible installed PHP runtime, and a database/user if you want to administer application data. Use a test database for practice. Back up an existing database before changing its contents.
Step 1 — Find phpMyAdmin in the App Store
1. Sign in to your own aaPanel.
2. Click App Store in the left menu.
3. Enter phpMyAdmin in the app search field and submit the search.
4. Locate the official phpMyAdmin row.
What you should see: Our lab shows phpMyAdmin 5.2, price Free, and Setting and Uninstall actions. These actions indicate that it is already installed. Do not uninstall it just to follow an installation guide.
AdminsForum lab screenshot — the installed app entry
![[Image: phpmyadmin-app-entry-branded-20261011.png]](https://adminsforum.com/uploads/tutorials/phpmyadmin-app-entry-branded-20261011.png)
Step 2 — Install only if the app is missing
If your row offers Install, select it, follow the panel's installation dialog, and wait until the task reports completion. Do not close or repeat the installation while its task is still running. Return to the app search and confirm that Setting is available.
Why this check matters: Starting a task is not the same as completing it. If installation fails, record the actual message and inspect the task log before trying again. The screenshot above shows the completed installation state; it does not show a fresh installation dialog.
Step 3 — Check the PHP runtime used by phpMyAdmin
1. Click Setting on the phpMyAdmin row.
2. Select PHP version in the management window.
3. Read the currently selected runtime.
4. If it is already a suitable installed PHP version, leave it unchanged.
What you should see: Our selection is PHP-84, meaning PHP 8.4. The screenshot also offers PHP-85. This guide does not switch phpMyAdmin to 8.5 or claim that this switch was tested.
AdminsForum lab screenshot — phpMyAdmin's own PHP selection
![[Image: phpmyadmin-runtime-detail-branded-20261011.png]](https://adminsforum.com/uploads/tutorials/phpmyadmin-runtime-detail-branded-20261011.png)
Why this matters: The website PHP selection and phpMyAdmin PHP selection are separate. Changing your website to PHP 8.5 does not mean phpMyAdmin must use 8.5. Static is not an appropriate runtime for a PHP application. If you deliberately change this selection, choose an installed compatible runtime, click Save, and test opening phpMyAdmin afterwards. Keep the previous working selection recorded so you can restore it.
Step 4 — Understand public access before enabling anything
1. In the same management window, open Service.
2. Find Enable public access.
3. Read the panel's explanation before changing the checkbox.
Our verified state: The checkbox is unchecked. In this version, the panel explains that authenticated panel access is separate from the public phpMyAdmin service. The numbered screenshot highlights the checkbox and explanation; the private access address has been hidden.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=10]](https://adminsforum.com/attachment.php?aid=10)
Why leave it off? You do not need an additional publicly reachable database-administration page just to learn the panel workflow. Do not enable public access or open its firewall port merely because an older tutorial uses a public URL. This guide does not change firewall rules or enable that service.
Step 5 — Locate the database you intend to manage
1. Close the phpMyAdmin settings window.
2. Open Databases from the left menu.
3. Find the application database by its name and remark.
4. Note the database name and associated username privately.
5. Use the row's phpMyAdmin action for the intended database.
If no application database exists, create it first using our database and user guide. Do not select a database just because it appears first in the list.
Step 6 — Try authenticated panel access
The database access dialog in our lab offers Password-free access and Public access. Choose Password-free access first while logged into the panel.
What happened in our test: aaPanel opened an aaPanel account registration/login prompt. This is the vendor account prompt, not a MySQL login. Until that account step is completed, we cannot demonstrate the database browsing screen through this route. If you encounter the same prompt, use your own account and follow its verification process. Do not paste account credentials into support posts.
If nothing opens, check whether the browser blocked a popup and retry the same authenticated action. If the vendor account step is completed but access still fails, record the exact response rather than switching to public access as an automatic workaround.
Step 7 — Know which password belongs where- aaPanel server login: Signs into the control panel installed on your VPS.
- aaPanel vendor account: Signs into aaPanel's account service when a feature requests it.
- MySQL/MariaDB user: Identifies the database account used by phpMyAdmin or your application.
If you reach a phpMyAdmin database-login form, it expects valid database credentials. The aaPanel server password is not a replacement for the database password. Prefer a user assigned to the application database for routine work rather than a database root account.
Troubleshooting: decide from the actual symptom- App does not appear installed: Check the installation task result and app list. Do not assume a clicked Install button completed successfully.
- 502 or blank page: Check phpMyAdmin's selected PHP runtime, the corresponding PHP service and relevant error logs. Check this runtime independently of the website's PHP version.
- Vendor login prompt: Complete the account step. It does not mean the database password is wrong.
- Database access denied: Check the database username, password, host and grants. Copy the error number after removing secrets.
- Expected database missing: Confirm that it exists in aaPanel and that the database user has access to it. Stop before importing into another database.
Practice and completion checklist
Without changing any data, practise finding phpMyAdmin in the App Store, identifying its selected PHP runtime, locating your application's database, and explaining the difference between the three account types above.
You have completed setup preparation when the app is installed, its runtime is identified, the intended database/user exists, and the access route is understood. You have completed database access verification only after the intended database actually opens. Our browser access verification is still pending; screenshots of browsing, export and import will be added after successful tests.
Next lessons:
References: phpMyAdmin introduction and database user explanation; aaPanel App Store documentation. This walkthrough uses original AdminsForum lab captures and does not claim a completed video recording.
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