To configure config.inc.php in phpMyAdmin, begin by setting up server connection parameters, then select authentication types, optionally enable configuration storage, and adjust other useful settings. 1. Define each MySQL server using the $i index in the $cfg['Servers'] array, specifying host, port, socket, connect_type, extension, auth_type, user, and password. 2. Choose an authentication type—config, cookie (recommended), or http—and set a blowfish secret for cookie authentication. 3. Optionally enable configuration storage by creating the phpmyadmin database and importing create_tables.sql, then link tables like bookmarktable and relation in the config. 4. Adjust additional settings such as MaxRows, DefaultCharset, AllowRoot, and IP-based access control to enhance usability and security. Proper configuration ensures secure and efficient management of databases through phpMyAdmin.

Configuring config.inc.php in phpMyAdmin is essential if you want to customize how the tool connects to your MySQL servers, sets up authentication, or enables certain features. The file usually lives in the main phpMyAdmin directory — often under /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php on Linux systems or wherever you installed it manually.

Here’s a breakdown of how to set up some of the most important parts of this file.

1. Basic Server Connection Settings

By default, phpMyAdmin allows connecting to one local MySQL server using cookie-based authentication. If you're managing multiple servers or remote databases, you need to adjust these settings.

Inside config.inc.php, each server is defined with an index (like $i) and added to the $cfg['Servers'] array. Here's a minimal setup for one server:

$i = 0;
$i  ;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = 'localhost';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['port'] = '';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket'] = '';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = 'tcp';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = 'mysqli';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'cookie';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = '';

• host: Set this to the hostname or IP address of your MySQL server.
• port: Usually blank unless you're using a non-standard port.
• connect_type: Use 'tcp' for network connections or 'socket' for local Unix sockets.
• auth_type: Common options are 'cookie', 'http', or 'config'. Cookie is secure and recommended.

If you're connecting to multiple servers, just repeat the block with $i and change the values accordingly.

2. Authentication Types Explained

The auth_type setting determines how users log into phpMyAdmin:

• config: Automatically logs in using the username and password in the config file. Not secure for public installations.
• cookie: Most commonly used. Prompts users for credentials and stores session info in a cookie.
• http: Uses HTTP authentication. Useful if you already have basic auth set up via Apache or Nginx.

For security, always use cookie unless you're working in a very controlled environment like a dev machine.

To enable cookie-based login, make sure you also set a blowfish secret:

$cfg['blowfish_secret'] = 'your-secret-key-here'; /* Required for cookie auth */

This key can be any random string — think of it like a salt for encrypting cookies.

3. Enable Configuration Storage (Optional but Helpful)

Some advanced features like bookmarks, PDF schema generation, and tracking require a special database called phpmyadmin. You’ll need to create this and import its structure from the sql/create_tables.sql file included in phpMyAdmin.

Once that's done, update your config to point to it:

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'] = 'phpmyadmin';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable'] = 'pma__bookmark';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation'] = 'pma__relation';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info'] = 'pma__table_info';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] = 'pma__table_coords';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages'] = 'pma__pdf_pages';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info'] = 'pma__column_info';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['history'] = 'pma__history';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['designer_coords'] = 'pma__designer_coords';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['tracking'] = 'pma__tracking';

These lines tell phpMyAdmin where to store feature-specific data.

4. Other Useful Config Options

Here are a few more settings you might want to tweak:

• Increase Max Rows Displayed

  $cfg['MaxRows'] = 50;

• Set Default Charset

  $cfg['DefaultCharset'] = 'utf8mb4';

• Disable Warnings for Root Login

  If you're okay allowing root access via phpMyAdmin, suppress the warning:

  $cfg['AllowRoot'] = true;

• Limit Access by IP (for extra security)

  You can wrap sensitive settings in a PHP condition:

  if ($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] == '192.168.1.10') {
      $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'config';
      $cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
      $cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = 'localpass';
  }

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  That’s basically all you need to get started with configuring config.inc.php. It’s not overly complex, but getting the basics right helps avoid confusion and security issues down the line.

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