---
title: "Deploy phpMyAdmin | Web-Based MySQL & MariaDB GUI"
description: "Self Host phpMyAdmin: manage any MySQL/MariaDB db, run SQL on Railway"
category: "Storage"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/phpmyadmin
---

# Deploy phpMyAdmin | Web-Based MySQL & MariaDB GUI

Self Host phpMyAdmin: manage any MySQL/MariaDB db, run SQL on Railway

**[Deploy phpMyAdmin | Web-Based MySQL & MariaDB GUI on Railway](https://railway.com/template/phpmyadmin)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** Storage
- **Total deploys:** 43

## Template content

### phpMyAdmin https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/phpmyadmin.svg

- **Image:** linuxserver/phpmyadmin
- **Public domain:** Yes

## Documentation

![phpMyAdmin logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/PhpMyAdmin_logo.svg)

# Deploy and Host phpMyAdmin on Railway

phpMyAdmin is a free, open-source web-based administration tool for MySQL and MariaDB databases. Written in PHP, it gives developers a browser-based GUI to manage tables, run SQL queries, handle users and permissions, import/export data — without touching the command line. 

Self-host phpMyAdmin on Railway in one click using the `linuxserver/phpmyadmin` image pre-configured with `PMA_ARBITRARY=1` so you can connect it to any MySQL or MariaDB server at login time — no hardcoded host required.

![phpMyAdmin Railway architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1774712478/phpmyadmin_railway_architecture_jvjqn5.png)

## Getting Started with phpMyAdmin on Railway

Once your Railway deploy is live, open the public URL assigned to your service. You'll land on the phpMyAdmin login screen with a **Server** field — this is where you enter the TCP connection string for your MySQL or MariaDB instance (e.g. a Railway MySQL service's TCP host and port). Enter your database username and password, then click **Go**. From there you can browse databases, run queries, manage users, and import/export — no further setup needed.

![phpMyAdmin dashboard screenshot](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1774712480/phpmyadmin_dashobard_fqmvif.png)

## About Hosting phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin has been the go-to web-based MySQL admin interface since 1998. It handles the full range of MySQL and MariaDB administration tasks through a browser, making it practical for teams who need a shared GUI without installing desktop clients.

Key features:
- Browse, create, alter, and drop databases, tables, columns, and indexes
- Run raw SQL queries with results displayed inline
- Import and export data in 16+ formats including SQL, CSV, JSON, and XML
- Manage user accounts and granular MySQL privileges
- Visual foreign key and relationship management
- Query history, bookmarks, and multi-server support via arbitrary mode

## Why Deploy phpMyAdmin on Railway

Get a shared, browser-accessible MySQL admin panel running in under a minute:

- No local PHP or Apache setup on developer machines
- Connects to any MySQL/MariaDB host at login — works with Railway MySQL, PlanetScale, AWS RDS, or any TCP-accessible database
- Managed TLS and public URL out of the box via Railway
- One-click redeploys when you update the image tag
- No volumes or persistent storage needed — fully stateless

## Common Use Cases

- **Shared team database access** — give teammates a browser-based MySQL GUI without sharing SSH credentials or installing desktop tools
- **Railway MySQL management** — point phpMyAdmin at an existing Railway MySQL service via its TCP host to inspect and edit data during development
- **Database migrations and exports** — run ALTER TABLE statements or export full database dumps as SQL files from a UI
- **Staging environment inspection** — spin up a temporary phpMyAdmin instance alongside a staging database to debug data issues

## Dependencies for phpMyAdmin

- **phpMyAdmin** — `linuxserver/phpmyadmin` 
- **MySQL or MariaDB** — not bundled; connect to any externally accessible MySQL/MariaDB server at login time via TCP

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Docker image**: `linuxserver/phpmyadmin`
- **phpMyAdmin official docs**: https://docs.phpmyadmin.net/
- **phpMyAdmin GitHub**: https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

## Minimum Hardware Requirements for phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a lightweight PHP application with minimal resource needs. These are practical baselines for a Railway deployment:

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| CPU | 0.1 vCPU | 0.25 vCPU |
| RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Storage | None (stateless) | None |
| PHP | 7.2+ (bundled) | 8.x (bundled in image) |

No build-time memory spike — the image is pulled and started as-is.

## phpMyAdmin vs Adminer vs MySQL Workbench

| Feature | phpMyAdmin | Adminer | MySQL Workbench |
|---------|-----------|---------|-----------------|
| Open source | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Web-based | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (desktop) |
| Self-hostable | ✅ | ✅ | N/A |
| Multi-DB support | MySQL/MariaDB only | MySQL, Postgres, SQLite, MSSQL | MySQL only |
| Deployment size | Docker image | Single PHP file | ~200 MB desktop app |
| Export formats | 16+ | Fewer | SQL, CSV |
| User management UI | ✅ Full | ✅ Basic | ✅ Full |
| Pricing | Free | Free | Free |

phpMyAdmin remains the most widely supported option in shared hosting environments and has the deepest MySQL-specific feature set. Adminer is lighter and multi-database; MySQL Workbench is better for local ER diagram work.

## Self-Hosting phpMyAdmin

**Docker (arbitrary server mode — recommended):**

```
docker run -d \
  --name phpmyadmin \
  -e PMA_ARBITRARY=1 \
  -p 8080:80 \
  lscr.io/linuxserver/phpmyadmin:latest
```

Visit `http://localhost:8080`, enter your MySQL host, username, and password.

**Docker Compose with a local MariaDB:**

```
services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:11
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: changeme
      MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  phpmyadmin:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/phpmyadmin:latest
    environment:
      PMA_ARBITRARY: 1
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    depends_on:
      - db

volumes:
  db_data:
```

Use `db` as the Server value in the phpMyAdmin login form — Docker Compose resolves service names automatically.

## Is phpMyAdmin Free?

phpMyAdmin is completely free and open-source under the GPL license — there are no paid tiers, no cloud-hosted SaaS version, and no usage limits. On Railway, you pay only for the compute the container consumes (typically well under $1/month for a low-traffic admin panel). The LinuxServer.io image used in this template is also free and openly maintained.

## FAQ

**What is phpMyAdmin?**
phpMyAdmin is a free, browser-based administration tool for MySQL and MariaDB databases. It lets you manage databases, tables, users, and run SQL queries through a web UI — no command-line access to the database server required.

**What does this Railway template deploy?**
A single service running `lscr.io/linuxserver/phpmyadmin:latest` with `PMA_ARBITRARY=1`. No database is included — you connect phpMyAdmin to your own MySQL or MariaDB server by entering its TCP host, port, username, and password on the login screen.

**Why does this template use the LinuxServer.io image instead of the official `phpmyadmin` Docker image?**
The official `phpmyadmin:latest` and `phpmyadmin:5.2-apache` images crash on Railway with `AH00534: apache2: Configuration error: More than one MPM loaded`. This is an Apache MPM conflict in the entrypoint that can't be fixed via environment variables or start commands. The LinuxServer.io image uses NGINX + PHP-FPM and has no such conflict.

**What do I enter in the "Server" field at login?**
The TCP connection host for your MySQL or MariaDB database. For a Railway MySQL service, this is found in the service's **Connect** tab under the TCP proxy hostname and port (e.g. `viaduct.proxy.rlwy.net:12345`). For external databases, use their public hostname.

**Is it safe to expose phpMyAdmin publicly?**
phpMyAdmin is protected by your MySQL credentials — someone needs a valid database username and password to access anything. That said, it's good practice to restrict access: use Railway's private networking if phpMyAdmin only needs to be accessed internally, set strong passwords, and consider adding an additional auth layer if exposing it to the internet long-term.

**Can I use phpMyAdmin with PostgreSQL?**
No. phpMyAdmin is MySQL/MariaDB only. For PostgreSQL, consider pgAdmin or Adminer (which supports multiple database types including Postgres).

**Does phpMyAdmin support database imports and exports?**
Yes. It supports import and export in over 16 formats including SQL dumps, CSV, JSON, XML, Excel, and PDF. File size limits depend on PHP's `upload_max_filesize` setting in the container.


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