error establishing a database connection

#Error establishing a database connection how to#
#Error establishing a database connection software#

We’ve written the above list in order of likelihood, based on our experience, but you can start from the bottom and work up if you prefer.

#Error establishing a database connection how to#

Now, let’s dig into how to fix this error. How to Troubleshoot/Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection Message Be sure to back up your database, as well as the files on your server, since it’s the database that contains all of the critical information for your website. If you don’t know how to do this, talk to your host - most quality web hosts will have a backup solution of sorts.

#Error establishing a database connection software#

In this case, you’ll need to use your cPanel or other hosting management software to make a complete backup. There are lots of plugins that can back up your site for you, but if you’re already locked out of WordPress you won’t be able to use them. If you’re already using a tool such as Jetpack Backup - which we heartily recommend - you’re already backed up and good to go. While the troubleshooting steps you’ll be following aren’t dangerous, it’s always a good idea to have a backup - just in case. But First - Back Up Your Site Before Troubleshooting Any Issues Over the next few sections, we’ll go into more detail about what these issues mean and how you can fix them.

The database server is overloaded or malfunctioning.

Incorrect database credentials (username, password, host, database).

There are a number of issues that could cause a communication problem with your site’s database: What’s the Cause of a Database Connection Issue? If WordPress can’t access any of the information within its database, it has no way of loading your website - that’s why you see the scary error message instead of your site. Why is this such a big issue? Well, in addition to the content of posts and pages, WordPress also stores a whole heap of other essential information in its database, such as its main settings, your user data, your selected theme, your widget settings, data for your active plugins, and so on. Your site is trying to access the database to look up the necessary content, but it can’t do that for some reason. In short, the infamous ‘ error establishing a database connection‘ means WordPress can’t find this database. looks up the content it’s trying to load.finds the WordPress posts table within that database.When a visitor lands on one of your blog posts, for example, WordPress: Your site’s database - this is where your actual content and settings are saved.įor your site to work properly, its files need to be able to access the content and settings in your database.

Your site’s files - these are files such as the core WordPress software, your theme’s templates, plugin templates, and so on.There are two main parts to your WordPress website: What Does ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection’ Actually Mean? Once you fix the connection, your site should 100% go back to normal. Rather, it’s just having trouble accessing a key part of WordPress. If you’re in total freakout mode right now because it seems as though your entire site has disappeared, don’t worry - it’s incredibly unlikely your site is ‘gone’. In this post, I’ll explain why this error is happening and share some steps you can take to fix it. This is a scary one, because you’ll likely be unable to access your site (or at least part of your site), and, if you haven’t yet gotten your head around a few fundamental concepts about servers and/or web development, you’ll probably be at a loss. The longer you work with WordPress, the more likely you are to come across the dreaded ‘ error establishing a database connection‘ message.