Creating A Secure & Manageable Database

If you’ve ever moved your WordPress installation to another server, changed domains or migrated from a local setup to a live server, you would have had to create a new database manually.

Even when you install WordPress automatically, you can elect to connect your files to a database you create yourself rather then allow the installation script to create the database automatically.

So why would you want to manually create a database?

Because you can then setup the database so its more secure and easier to find in your list of databases.

Here’s a few tips which will help you manage your databases better and make them more secure.

Enter a Database Named The Same As Your Domain Name

If you have many databases, you’ll probably know its hard to remember which ones are connected to which domain.

Databases with auto generated names don’t allow you to easily understand which domains files they are connected with.

To find out the domain they are connected with, you might need to open your wp-config file and check that way.

If you name your database similar to the name of your domain, you can then quickly know which domains files its connected to.

Change the Database Prefix From The WordPress Default

For security reasons its suggested you change the database prefix from the default (wp_) or (wrd_) which everyone knows.

This will make your databases more secure and make it harder for hackers to get in and inject malicious scripts or even destroy your database entirely.

Don’t change the prefix after you have already installed WordPress unless you know what you are doing and always create a db backup before making any changes to your database.

Create A Long & Strong DB Password

Creating a database password which is more than 10 digits long makes it extremely difficult for hackers to use automated scripts and crack your db password.

Use an online password generator which produces passwords consisting of upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers.

Conclusion

WordPress can get a bit technical at times causing frustration and time wasting.

You can avoid headaches and secure your installation better by following these tips which will give you a better experience using WordPress.