Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing phpMyAdmin, ensure that your system is up to date. Run the following commands to update your package list and upgrade installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system up to date is critical for security and performance, especially when managing a server on platforms like VPS Windows Servers.

Step 2: Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP

If you haven’t already installed the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack, you need to do so first. Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP along with the necessary PHP extensions for phpMyAdmin:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-json php-curl -y

Start and enable Apache and MySQL to run at boot:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Step 3: Install phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is available in the default Ubuntu repository. Install it using the following command:

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

During the installation, you will be prompted to select the web server that should be automatically configured to run phpMyAdmin. Select apache2 using the spacebar and press Enter.

Next, you’ll be prompted to configure the phpMyAdmin database. Choose Yes and then set a password for the phpMyAdmin application.

Step 4: Enable PHP Extensions

Enable the required PHP extensions for phpMyAdmin to function properly:

sudo phpenmod mbstring

Restart Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 5: Configure phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is now installed, but you need to configure MySQL to allow phpMyAdmin to manage databases. Log in to MySQL:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a new MySQL user and grant it the necessary privileges:

CREATE USER 'phpmyadmin'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'phpmyadmin'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Replace your_password with a secure password of your choice.

Step 6: Access phpMyAdmin

You can now access phpMyAdmin by navigating to http://your_server_ip/phpmyadmin in your web browser. Use the MySQL credentials you created earlier to log in.

If you’re running this setup on a Windows VPS UK server, phpMyAdmin will provide a reliable interface for managing databases from anywhere.

Step 7: Secure phpMyAdmin (Optional)

phpMyAdmin is a powerful tool, but it can be a target for attacks if not properly secured. One way to add security is by setting up an additional authentication layer using Apache.

First, create a password file using the htpasswd utility:

sudo htpasswd -c /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd your_username

After creating the password file, edit the phpMyAdmin Apache configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/phpmyadmin.conf

Add the following lines to the configuration file to enable basic authentication:

<Directory /usr/share/phpmyadmin>
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "Restricted Access"
    AuthUserFile /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd
    Require valid-user
</Directory>

Save and close the file, then restart Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Now, when you access phpMyAdmin, you will be prompted to enter the additional username and password before accessing the login page.