Accessing phpMyAdmin Securely

phpMyAdmin access is now restricted for security reasons. It is only available through a secure SSH tunnel using a special login method. This helps protect your databases from unauthorised access.

Please remember: This system is for educational use only. Do not store sensitive personal data. Use it responsibly and in line with the college's IT Facilities Acceptable Use Policy..

What You’ll Need

• PuTTY installed on your Windows machine
• Your private key file (.ppk)
• The passphrase for your key (same one used for SFTP access)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open PuTTY and enter the server address:

   webdev.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

2. Under Connection > Data, set the Auto-login username to:

   phptunnel

3. Under Connection > SSH > Auth:
   • Browse to and select your private key file (.ppk)
4. Under Connection > SSH:
   • Tick “Don’t start a shell or command at all”
5. Under Connection > SSH > Tunnels:
   • Source port: 8888
   • Destination: localhost:80
   • Select Local and Auto
   • Click Add
6. Return to the Session section, give your session a name (e.g. phpMyAdmin Tunnel), and click Save.
7. Click Open to start the session. You’ll be asked for your key’s passphrase. After entering your passphrase, the window will go blank and appear to hang — this is expected. It means the tunnel is active in the background. Just leave this window open while you use phpMyAdmin.
8. While the PuTTY session is running, open your web browser and go to:

   http://localhost:8888/phpmyadmin

Login to phpMyAdmin

Use your usual database login — your SFTP username and password.

Having Issues?

Check the following:

• You're using the correct key and passphrase
• You logged in as phptunnel in PuTTY
• You added a tunnel from localhost:80 to local port 8888
• You visited http://localhost:8888/phpmyadmin (not the public server URL)

If you're still stuck, please ask your lecturer for assistance.