Plesk Obsidian provides a robust and intuitive interface for managing your website's databases. This guide will walk you through the process of creating, configuring, and removing databases, along with managing associated user accounts directly from your control panel.
Creating and Configuring Databases
Databases are essential for dynamic websites, storing content, user information, and other critical data. You can easily create and manage your databases by navigating to Websites & Domains > Databases in your Plesk control panel.
To create a new database, simply specify a unique name for it. Depending on your subscription permissions, you may also have the option to select a specific database type (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and the database server where it will be hosted. This flexibility allows you to tailor your database setup to meet your application's requirements.
For better organization and clarity, you can associate a database with a specific website using the Related site box. This feature is particularly useful for users managing multiple websites and databases, as it provides an immediate overview of which database belongs to which site directly on the Databases page, streamlining your administrative tasks.
Managing Database User Accounts
Access to any database is secured through user accounts. Each database must have at least one associated user account to enable applications or external tools to connect and interact with it. Without a user account, the database remains inaccessible.
When creating a new database, you have the option to simultaneously create a dedicated database user by checking the Create a database user box. Alternatively, you can associate an existing user account with the database at a later stage, providing flexibility in how you manage your database credentials. For more in-depth information on managing these accounts, refer to the Database User Accounts documentation.
To grant a database user access to all databases within your selected subscription, simply select the option User has access to all databases within the selected subscription. This can be convenient for certain administrative roles, but it's often recommended to provide specific access for security best practices.
Furthermore, if your permissions allow, you can define granular access control rules for individual database users. These custom rules enable you to specify exactly what operations a user can perform on a database, enhancing security and preventing unauthorized data manipulation. Details on configuring these advanced rules can be found in the Setting Up Custom Access Rules guide.
How to Remove a Database
Should a database no longer be needed, you can remove it from your Plesk environment. To initiate the removal process, navigate to Websites & Domains > Databases and click on the Remove Database link located beneath the specific database you wish to delete.
It is crucial to note that only databases and database users not actively utilized by installed APS applications can be removed directly. If the "Remove Database" link is unavailable or grayed out, it indicates that the database is currently in use by an application. In such cases, the database can only be removed by first uninstalling or removing the respective application that depends on it. Always ensure that no critical data will be lost before proceeding with database removal.
