Introduction
You can create databases on 000webhost.com and PHP can be used to connect to those databases. This tutorial explains three different methods how that could be achieved. Most of the websites need to have at least one database and if you are developing a website from the beginning you will have to connect it to a database manually, here you can find how that could be done step by step.
What you’ll need
Before you begin this guide you’ll need the following:
- Understanding of PHP syntax
- Access to your 000webhost.com account and files
- Database created on 000webhost.com account
Step 1 — Creating a PHP file
You need to create a PHP file (with .php extension) on your computer and upload it to the server. It’s just a simple new file created on your computer which has a .php extension. Here is a tutorial about doing that on Windows system using Notepad: Creating PHP file.
Step 2 — Uploading the file created
You should navigate to the file manager of 000webhost now and upload the file created. On your control panel press Upload files and then Upload files now.
Once you are redirected to the File Manager press the control buttons and select Upload files as provided in the screenshots below:
Then you need to select the necessary file on your computer and press Upload button:
Step 3 — Editing the PHP file
Now you need to edit the uploaded file. It can be done directly on the File Manager. Press the right mouse button on the uploaded file and select edit:
The file should be edited depending on the connection method. If you are interested in differences between these methods you can read more here
Method 1 — Connecting to the database using PDO (recommended)
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$database = "database";
try {
$conn = new PDO("mysql:host=$servername;dbname=$database", $username, $password);
// set the PDO error mode to exception
$conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
echo "Connected successfully";
} catch(PDOException $e) {
echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
Method 2 — Connecting to the database using mysqli (Object-Oriented)
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$database = "database";
// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $database);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo "Connected successfully";
?>
Method 3 — Connecting to the database using mysqli_connect (Procedural)
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$database = "database";
// Create connection
$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $database);
// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
echo "Connected successfully";
?>
Step 4 — Making the necessary changes
On all the methods you need to edit three lines only because 000webhost uses localhost as the servername (servername should not be changed).
-
Username - The username assigned to the database. It can be found on your 000webhost control panel -> Manage database. Username is combined of your
000webhost username and the name you created. -
Password - a password which you set for your username of this database.
-
Database - The name of your database. It can be found on your 000webhost control panel -> Manage database. Database name is combined of your 000webhost username and the name of the database you created.
If you are not sure where to find these entries it can be done on your 000webhost.com control panel -> Manage Database:
DB Name and DB User are visible on the page and if you forgot the password it can be changed by clicking the Manage button as provided in the screenshot above.
Step 5 — Testing the PHP connection
Now you can test if there are any errors in the syntax of the file. If your file is uploaded to public_html directory simply enter your website address to the browser and add /filename.php at the end of it. For example yourwebsite.000webhostapp.com/phpconnect.php. If you get a message Connected successfully on the browser it means, that script works just fine and you can use it when connecting your website or a script to a database. If you get Connection failed: an error should appear on the browser which should help you identify the mistake which was made.
Conclusion
These are three simple methods to connect to a database using a PHP file. They can be used to test the connection to the database and if the connection works fine you can start using commands which create, edit or delete entries in your database. It can also help you identify if the issue is on your website or the database of the server when your website can’t connect to the database and gives you an error.