Well if you have developed a website with a database backend, you would have worked with MySQL. Managing MySQL database from the command line is not very convenient or user-friendly. phpMyAdmin handles the administration and management of MySQL databases through a graphic user interface, providing that user-friendliness. You can make a one-time installation of phpMyAdmin on your system and manage several of your databases.
phpMyAdmin is an open source software project tool, written in PHP. It allows you to perform all kinds of MySQL administrative tasks over the Web by means of an easy graphical interface. If you need to do something that isn't provided by the interface, phpMyAdmin allows you to fall back to direct MySQL commands, so you're always able to perform any task, no matter how complex. It is licensed under the GPL. Not all Web hosting providers offer phpMyAdmin or allow you to install it on their server.
If you use a site developed in WordPress, you will have access to this application from your cPanel. In the section "Databases" you will find the phpMyAdmin icon, which allows you to enter the application. If we don't have access to a web hosting server and want to learn how to use this application to manage the MySQL database locally, you can install PhpMyAdmin on your PC using third-party products, for example, XAMPP or WampServer.
XAMPP which is the most popular PHP development environment for Windows, Linux and OS X, a completely free, Apache distribution containing MariaDB, PHP, and Perl. While WampServer is a Windows-only web development environment that allows us to create web applications with Apache2, PHP and a MySQL database and also install PhpMyAdmin to manage the MySQL database. They are both open source packages and are easy to install and to use.
The phpMyAdmin tool provides the most complete list of MySQL management operations. Using its graphical interface you can easily perform the basic Alter table functions. The database's 'Operations' tab enables you to create new tables, to rename or copy your database, or to change its collation. When you browse a table the Operations tab gives you access to all the basic Alter table functions. You are allowed to change or delete the existing values for any of the table creation entries, such as the field's name and attributes, its type and the length of the allowed characters and its collation method. Also, you can alter the MySQL table order, and rename, move or copy the table.
One of the most commonly used features of phpMyAdmin is its export function. phpMyAdmin provides extended MySQL dump functionality in various formats. To access the dump options you need to log in the phpMyAdmin tool and then enter the 'Export' tab. Here you can create a full database backup or dump only a selection of database tables. Also, you can choose the export format by selecting between SQL, Excel, CSV, XML, and others. Using the SQL options section of the form you can add a custom comment into the dump's header, set SQL export compatibility settings and export type. By ticking or unticking the 'Save as file' checkbox you can choose to save the dump as a file or just to print it in a text window. Also, the 'Save as file' option enables you to set the compression format and the dump name.
Developers use phpMyAdmin to work on MySQL because of its ease of use and being able to write SQL commands without having to write the SQL codes providing means to manipulate MySQL database remotely without any additional software on the server.
Programming Languages and Resources for Web Developers
Here are a brief survey of coding languages and resources for web designers. HTML, CSS (or HTML5 & CSS3) PHP, MySQL, JavaScript (or JS frameworks like jQuery, Angular, React, Node, or Express) or MongoDB, Apache, Ruby on Rails, and Linux are related to web programming. The most popular content management systems that use PHP & MySQL are Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal. Also, obtaining the following PHP and database certifications are highly rewarding for all custom web developers: Zend Framework 2, Zend Certified PHP Engineer, Oracle Database 11g Administration and Oracle Database 12c SQL Fundamentals. For those interested in learning more about web design and development, here are a list of step-by-step training guide articles: i- Become CMS specialist, ii- Become front-end specialist, iii- Become expert SQL developer, iv- Become expert PHP developer
MySQL coding is well suited for those interested in pursuing a career in web design and development; however, other options are mobile App design and development, system admin and software engineering. It is advisable to consult with an IT career counselor to understand what career options best fits your skills. For instance, if you want to be a software engineer, learning HTML and CSS might not fit the bill. Here is an excellent article for learning more on coding and technology career roadmap. Once you know what career path you wish to pursue, you can make a plan on what, when, and how to learn. There are lots of online resources for learning coding and technology in general. For teenagers and high school students, High School Technology Services offers variety of hands-on training. For adults and professionals, Coding Bootcamps and DC Web Makers Companies offer basic to advance project-based programming and technology classes.
