Every XenForo installation requires MySQL database details. Hosting’s control panel provides an easy to use front end option to create databases. I will share two of the most used hosting control panels aka CPanel and Plesk to create the database that can be used in XenForo.
If you wish to setup XenForo on localhost, check out this guide here.
1. CPanel
CPanel is the most widely used hosting control panel among shared hosts. You can easily create a database along with the right access level for the user using the MySQL Database Wizard inside the CPanel control panel. Login to your CPanel and locale the “MySQL Database Wizard” link.
The database wizard has 4 steps. The first step is to provide a name of the database. You can name it anything that you want but if you want to be using it for XenForo, name it like xf or xenforo to easily identify what it is for?
The next step is to create a user for accessing the database. Keep the username same as database name to identify the access to the database of the user easily. Generated password for the database user is recommended but remember to copy the password and add it to the XenForo installation.
The third step is to add the access privileges for the user to the database. If you aren’t sure, you can provide “ALL PRIVILEGES” and proceed.
You will get the confirmation message that the user is created with the needed access to the database.
2. Plesk
Creating a database is simpler in the latest Plesk control panel. Click the Database link from the left panel. It will list all the domains you have in your plesk control panel. Click the domain for which you wish to add the database for and it will show Add Database button.
Now provide the database name, database username, use generated password and don’t forget to copy the generated password.
Note: For Access control select “Allow local connections only” but if you are using a separate database server, specify the IP address of the web server to restrict database connection from the web server only.