phpMyAdmin is an open-source PHP application built to manage MySQL and MariaDB database servers via the intuitive web interface. All database tasks and queries can be handled by phpMyAdmin. With phpMyAdmin, you can manage MySQL databases, user accounts, and privileges, execute SQL queries and statements, import and export database content, and much more. You can now install and run phpMyAdmin on directly from a Windows desktop or server via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) without installing third-party apps or using a virtual machine. Back in 2017, Microsoft released WSL and later WSL2 which lets developers run a GNU/Linux environment, including most command-line tools, utilities, and applications directly in Windows without setting up a virtual machine or dual-boot. WSL2 is the new and improved version that comes with a performance boost, and full system call compatibility, and is built with a new architecture that delivers features that make WSL an amazing way to run a Linux environment in Windows. To get started with running phpMyAdmin on Windows with WSL, follow the steps below:

Install Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 11

To enable WSL in Windows, you will want to open the Command Prompt as administrator. Click on Start then begin typing Command Prompt. Next, right-click Command Prompt app and choose to Run as administrator. When the console opens, run the commands below to install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL): Wait for WSL to be installed. After installing, you should get a success message similar to the lines below: Restart your computer. WSL should be installed and ready to use. When you want to update, simply run the commands below:

Install Specific Linux distro on Windows 11

Now that WSL is installed, you can now install the Linux distro of your choice. To list the available distributions to install, simply run the commands below: You should then see all available distributions that can be installed on WSL. To install a Linux distribution from the list above, simply run the commands below using the distribution name. For example, to install Ubuntu 20.04, run the commands below: You should then get a message that the distribution is installed. After installing, you should get a Ubuntu command console with setup details. Some troubleshooting commands to run when you run into issues. Now that Ubuntu Linux is installed and ready to use, continue below to install the LAMP server to run WordPress on. First, install Apache HTTP Server.

Install Apache HTTP Server

Apache is the most popular open-source web server powering the majority of websites online. To install Apache on Ubuntu, run the commands below: After installing Apache2, the commands below can be used to stop, start and restart Apache2 services. To validate that Apache is installed and functioning, open your web browser and browse to the server’s hostname or IP address. You should get a test page if every works. http://localhost

Install MariaDB Database Server

MariaDB is a truly open-source database server you can run with your projects. It is fast, secure and the default server for almost all Linux. To install MariaDB, run the commands below: After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and restart MariaDB services. Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation. When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter Set root password? [Y/n]: Y New password: Enter password Re-enter new password: Repeat password Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

To verify and validate that MariaDB is installed and working, log in to the database console using the commands below: Type the root password when prompted. If you see a similar screen as shown above, then the server was successfully installed.

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that enables the LAMP and LEMP stack and is required by phpMyAdmin. To install PHP and recommended modules, run the commands below. That should get PHP installed with recommended PHP modules that you can run with many PHP-based applications. To validate that PHP is installed, run the commands below: You should see an output like the one below: You can also test with a test PHP script and display the installed version as well as related modules that are enabled or disabled. To do that, run the commands below to create a PHP test file called phpinfo.php Then type the content below and save the file. Save the file. Open your browser and browse to your server hostname followed by phpinfo.php Restart Apache, then type the address and browse the file. You should see the PHP default test page.

Install phpMyAdmin

Now that you have installed Apache, MariaDB, and PHP, run the commands below to install phpMyAdmin. During the installation, you’ll be prompted to select the webserver to run with phpMyAdmin. When prompted to choose the web server, select apache2 and continue. When prompted again to allow web config-common to install a database and configure select Yes. Enter a password and confirm for phpMyAdmin to register with the database, then select OK and complete the installation. MySQL and MariaDB come with a feature that provides root authentication via an auth_socket plugin. This plugin authenticates users who connect from the local host via a socket file without prompting or using a password. If you attempt to log on to phpMyAdmin with the MariaDB root account, you won’t be allowed. If you wish to use the root account to log on to phpMyAdmin, then use the steps below. To fix that, you’ll need to change the default authentication mechanism from auth_socket to mysql_native_password. Login back into the MariaDB console. Then run the commands below to change to disable mysql_native_password module. Save your changes and exit: Restart Apache and browse to phpMyAdmin web portal using the URL: That will bring up the login page where you should be able to do so with the root account. Begin managing your database server from the phpMyAdmin portal. Conclusion: This post showed you how to install phpMyAdmin in Windows WSL. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.