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Alexander Neitzel
Alexander Neitzel

Posted on Originally published at garmingo.com

How to Install MySQL and phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu (with Monitoring)

#selfhosted #devops #docker #mysql

MySQL and phpMyAdmin are the go-to combo for managing databases in web projects.

Whether you're building something serious or just tinkering, self-hosting your own stack gives you full control — and it’s easier than you think.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to:

  1. Install MySQL on Ubuntu
  2. Secure your database
  3. Set up phpMyAdmin
  4. Add real uptime monitoring — so you know when something breaks

🧰 What You’ll Need

  • A fresh Ubuntu 22.04 server
  • sudo/root access
  • A domain name (optional, but recommended for phpMyAdmin)
  • 10–15 minutes

⚡ Step 1: Install MySQL Server

Update your server:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
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Install MySQL:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y
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Secure your installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation
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Answer the prompts to remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, etc.

🔐 Step 2: Create a MySQL User and Database

Log in to MySQL:

sudo mysql
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Then run:

CREATE DATABASE myapp_db;  
CREATE USER 'myuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword';  
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON myapp_db.* TO 'myuser'@'localhost';  
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;  
EXIT;
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🌐 Step 3: Install phpMyAdmin

Install required dependencies:

sudo apt install phpmyadmin php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-json php-curl -y
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During setup:

  • Choose Apache (if prompted)
  • Configure a MySQL application password

Enable extensions:

sudo phpenmod mbstring  
sudo systemctl restart apache2
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Now access it at:

http://your-server-ip/phpmyadmin

🌍 Step 4: (Optional) Set Up a Domain for phpMyAdmin

Point a subdomain (like db.yourdomain.com) to your server’s IP.

Then set up a reverse proxy (e.g. with NGINX) and secure it with HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt.

🛡️ Step 5: Secure phpMyAdmin Access

Protect access by:

  • Adding .htpasswd authentication
  • Restricting by IP
  • Moving it to a non-obvious path (/mydbadmin)

✅ Step 6: Monitor Your MySQL Stack with Garmingo Status

Congrats — your DB stack is running.

But what happens if it goes down?

💡 Don’t wait to find out the hard way. Add uptime monitoring now:

  • Create a free Garmingo Status account
  • Add a monitor for:
    • http(s)://yourdomain.com/phpmyadmin
    • Port 3306 (MySQL)
    • Your public IP (Ping monitor)

You’ll get:

  • Real-time alerts (Slack, Email, Telegram, etc.)
  • Public or private status pages
  • Downtime logs & SLA tracking
  • PDF uptime reports

🆓 100% free plan. No credit card. Instant peace of mind.

👉 Get started here

🧘 TL;DR

  • ✅ Install MySQL
  • ✅ Set up phpMyAdmin
  • 🔒 Secure everything
  • 📈 Monitor it with Garmingo Status

If your database goes down and no one's watching… is it really running?

👉 Start monitoring your stack today

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