Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux: 3 Easy Steps

In this tutorial, you will learn to Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux Manually. As described on the official phpMyAdmin website, phpMyAdmin is a free software tool written in PHP, intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web. phpMyAdmin supports a wide range of operations on MySQL and MariaDB.

For many reasons, such as security, compatibility issues, or other common reasons that your software doesn’t take updates automatically, you may want to upgrade your phpMyAdmin version. You can follow the steps below on how you can do it on your Linux server. You can use these steps for various Linux distributions including AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky Linux, etc.

To complete this guide, you must have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. Also, you can visit the Orcacore website and search for phpMyAdmin guides to get the installation articles on different Linux operating systems.

These are some example guides for phpMyAdmin installation:

Install and Secure phpMyAdmin on Debian 12

Install and Configure phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu 22.04

phpMyAdmin installation on AlmaLinux 9

Now proceed to the following steps to Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux.

Step 1 – Create a Backup File for phpMyAdmin on Linux

The first step is to get a backup from your phpMyAdmin folder. This will help you to avoid data loss during the updating process. To do this, you can run the following command in your terminal:

sudo mv /usr/share/phpmyadmin/ /usr/share/phpmyadmin.bak

This will move your phpMyAdmin files to a new backup folder.

Step 2 – Create a new phpMyAdmin File Directory

At this point, you must create a new file for your phpMyAdmin. To do this, you can use the command below:

sudo mkdir /usr/share/phpmyadmin/

Then, switch to your newly created folder with the command below:

cd /usr/share/phpmyadmin/

Step 3 – Update phpMyAdmin by Downloading the Latest version

In this step, you must visit the phpMyAdmin downloads page, and use the following command to download the latest version of phpMyAdmin:

sudo wget https://files.phpmyadmin.net/phpMyAdmin/5.2.1/phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-all-languages.zip

Next, extract your downloaded file with the command below:

sudo tar xzf phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-all-languages.zip

Finally, move your extracted file to your phpMyAdmin directory with the command below:

sudo mv phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-all-languages/* /usr/share/phpmyadmin

This will Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux. That’s it, you are done.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux Manually. Just remember to back up your phpMyAdmin folder first before making any changes. Failure to do so could result in data loss.

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FAQs

Alternative Methods for Updating phpMyAdmin

While the manual method described above works, it’s not always the most efficient or maintainable. Here are two alternative methods for updating phpMyAdmin on Linux: using package managers and using Docker.

1. Updating phpMyAdmin using Package Managers (apt, yum, dnf)

Many Linux distributions provide phpMyAdmin packages through their package managers (apt for Debian/Ubuntu, yum for CentOS/RHEL, dnf for Fedora). Using these package managers simplifies the update process significantly. The key is to ensure you’re using a repository that provides the latest version of phpMyAdmin.

Explanation:

Package managers handle dependencies, configuration file updates, and service restarts, which reduces the chance of errors during the update process. They also integrate with the system’s security update mechanism, ensuring that phpMyAdmin receives security patches automatically.

Steps (Example using apt on Debian/Ubuntu):

1. Update the package list: This ensures you have the latest information about available packages.

   sudo apt update

2. Upgrade phpMyAdmin: This command will install the latest version available in your configured repositories.

   sudo apt upgrade phpmyadmin

   If you haven’t installed phpMyAdmin with apt originally, you might need to install it first:

   sudo apt install phpmyadmin

   During installation, you’ll be prompted to configure phpMyAdmin with your web server (e.g., Apache or Lighttpd).

3. Verify the update: After the upgrade, check the phpMyAdmin version by accessing it in your web browser or using the dpkg command:

   dpkg -s phpmyadmin | grep Version

Important Considerations:

• Repository Versions: The version of phpMyAdmin available through your distribution’s default repositories might not always be the absolute latest. Consider adding a third-party repository that provides more up-to-date packages if needed. Be cautious when adding third-party repositories and ensure they are trustworthy.
• Configuration Files: Package managers usually handle configuration file updates gracefully. However, it’s always a good idea to back up your config.inc.php file (usually located in /etc/phpmyadmin/) before performing the upgrade, just in case.

2. Updating phpMyAdmin using Docker

Docker provides a containerized environment for running applications, including phpMyAdmin. This approach isolates phpMyAdmin from the host system, simplifying updates and improving security.

Explanation:

Docker containers package an application and its dependencies into a single unit. This eliminates dependency conflicts and ensures that the application runs consistently across different environments. Updating phpMyAdmin with Docker involves simply pulling the latest image from Docker Hub and restarting the container.

Steps:

1. Install Docker: If you don’t have Docker installed, follow the instructions for your operating system on the official Docker website (https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/).

2. Pull the latest phpMyAdmin image: This downloads the latest version of phpMyAdmin from Docker Hub.

   docker pull phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

3. Run the phpMyAdmin container: This command starts a new container using the downloaded image. You’ll need to configure the container to connect to your MySQL/MariaDB server. A basic example is shown below, but you’ll likely need to adjust it based on your specific setup.

   docker run --name my-phpmyadmin -d -e PMA_HOST=your_mysql_host -e PMA_PORT=3306 -p 8080:80 phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

   • --name my-phpmyadmin: Assigns a name to the container.
   • -d: Runs the container in detached mode (in the background).
   • -e PMA_HOST=your_mysql_host: Sets the hostname or IP address of your MySQL/MariaDB server. Replace your_mysql_host with the actual value. If your MySQL server is running on the same host, you might use localhost or the container name if they’re in the same Docker network.
   • -e PMA_PORT=3306: Sets the port number of your MySQL/MariaDB server. Defaults to 3306.
   • -p 8080:80: Maps port 8080 on the host to port 80 inside the container (where phpMyAdmin runs). You can access phpMyAdmin in your browser at http://localhost:8080.
   • phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin: Specifies the Docker image to use.

4. Verify the update: Access phpMyAdmin in your web browser (e.g., http://localhost:8080) and check the version number.

Updating an Existing Docker Container:

To update phpMyAdmin, stop and remove the existing container, pull the latest image, and then recreate the container with the same configuration.

docker stop my-phpmyadmin
docker rm my-phpmyadmin
docker pull phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
docker run --name my-phpmyadmin -d -e PMA_HOST=your_mysql_host -e PMA_PORT=3306 -p 8080:80 phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

Advantages of Using Docker:

• Isolation: Prevents conflicts with other software on the host system.
• Reproducibility: Ensures consistent behavior across different environments.
• Easy Updates: Updating is as simple as pulling a new image and restarting the container.
• Configuration Management: Configuration can be managed through environment variables, making it easy to adapt to different environments.

By using package managers or Docker, you can simplify the process to Update phpMyAdmin to the Latest Version in Linux, making it more efficient and maintainable than manual updates. Remember to always back up your data before making any changes to your system.