Run phpMyAdmin using Docker with Existing Database

Connect phpMyAdmin running in Docker to your existing MySQL server on macOS.

1. Ensure MySQL Runs on Mac

Terminal window
mysql --version
# Make sure your MySQL server is running and listens on 3306

2. Run phpMyAdmin Container

Terminal window
docker run -d --name phpmyadmin \
  -e PMA_HOST=host.docker.internal \
  -e PMA_PORT=3306 \
  -e PMA_ARBITRARY=1 \
  -e UPLOAD_LIMIT=256M \
  -p 8080:80 \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  phpmyadmin:latest

3. Open It

  • Browser: http://localhost:8080
  • Server: host.docker.internal
  • User/Pass: Your Mac’s MySQL credentials (e.g., root)

4. After Reboot

Terminal window
docker start phpmyadmin
# (restart policy is already set; it will auto-start when Docker Desktop starts)

5. Common Operations

Terminal window
# View logs
docker logs -f phpmyadmin


# Stop
docker stop phpmyadmin


# Remove (then re-run step 2 to recreate)
docker rm -f phpmyadmin

6. Quick Tips

  • Port clash? Change -p 8080:80 → -p 9090:80
  • Large imports? Raise UPLOAD_LIMIT (e.g., 512M)
  • Can’t connect? Confirm MySQL is running on macOS and reachable on port 3306