Preface

By default, phpMyAdmin only connects to a single MySQL server, with connection details stored in the configuration file. Editing the configuration every time you want to switch servers can be a hassle. Follow the methods below to make switching effortless.

Method 1

INFO

Enter the server IP, username, and password manually when logging into phpMyAdmin.

Drawbacks

Logging in is tedious, and switching servers requires logging out first.

Steps

1. Copy config.sample.inc.php in the phpMyAdmin root directory and rename it to config.inc.php.

2. Change $cfg['AllowArbitraryServer'] from false to true to allow multiple MySQL servers.

   /**
    * allow login to any user entered server in cookie based authentication
    *
    * @global boolean $cfg['AllowArbitraryServer']
    */
   $cfg['AllowArbitraryServer'] = true;

Method 2 (Recommended)

INFO

On the login page, simply enter your username and password while the server address is selectable from a dropdown. You can even switch servers after logging in.

If security requirements are low, set auth_type to config to skip username/password entirely and just use the dropdown to switch servers.

Advantages

Logging in is much easier, and you can switch servers without logging out.

Steps

1. Copy config.sample.inc.php in the phpMyAdmin root directory and rename it to config.inc.php.

2. Define multiple server configurations in the file:

   $hosts = [
       1 => ['host' => 'localhost', 'user' => 'root', 'password' => 'root'],
       2 => ['host' => '192.168.10.10', 'user' => 'homestead', 'password' => 'secret']
   ];

3. Add the following code snippet to iterate over and load all server configurations:

   for ($i = 1; $i <= count($hosts); $i++) {
       /* Authentication type */
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'cookie';
       /* Server parameters */
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = $hosts[$i]['host']; // host
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = 'tcp';
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress'] = false;
       /* Select mysqli if your server has it */
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = 'mysql';
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true;
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = $hosts[$i]['user']; // username
       $cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = $hosts[$i]['password']; // password
   }

4. Save the file and log in again—you can now manage multiple MySQL servers seamlessly.

TIP

Article republished from: Configure phpMyAdmin to enter an IP and manage multiple MySQL servers at login