Namecheap MySQL Database Plans — What You Get
| Plan | Price (ex-VAT) | Databases | Storage | phpMyAdmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stellar (Basic) | £1.83/mo (renews £7.88/mo) | Unlimited | 20 GB SSD | ✅ Yes |
| Stellar Plus | £2.90/mo (renews £10.74/mo) | Unlimited | Unmetered | ✅ Yes |
| Stellar Business | £4.48/mo (renews £19.16/mo) | Unlimited | Unmetered | ✅ Yes |
All prices ex-VAT. UK customers add 20% at checkout. All Namecheap shared hosting plans include unlimited MySQL databases.
Verdict: All Namecheap shared hosting plans include unlimited MySQL databases. Even the cheapest Stellar plan (£1.83/mo first year) gives you full phpMyAdmin access. There is no paid add-on or upgrade required.
This guide walks you through creating a MySQL database on Namecheap cPanel in under 10 minutes, with full detail on the user privileges step that most guides skip over.
What You Need Before Starting
- An active Namecheap shared hosting account
- cPanel access (Namecheap Dashboard → Hosting → Manage → cPanel)
- The name of the application you are connecting (WordPress, Laravel, custom app)
You do not need root MySQL access. Namecheap shared hosting uses per-account MySQL users — you manage everything through cPanel.
Step 1: Open MySQL Databases in cPanel
- Log in to your Namecheap account at namecheap.com
- Click Hosting in the left menu
- Click Manage next to your hosting plan
- Click Go to cPanel
- Scroll down to the Databases section
- Click MySQL Databases
Note: You will see two options — MySQL Databases and MySQL Database Wizard. Use MySQL Databases (not the Wizard) for full control. The Wizard hides some options and is slower for repeat use.
Step 2: Create the Database
- Under Create New Database, type your database name in the field
- Click Create Database
Naming rules: Use lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores only. No spaces or hyphens.
Important — prefix: Namecheap automatically prepends your cPanel username to every database name. If your cPanel username is jsmith and you type mysite, the actual database name becomes jsmith_mysite. Copy this full name — you will need it when configuring your application.
After creation you will see a green confirmation message: “Added the database [full name]”. The database now exists but is empty. No tables, no users yet.
Step 3: Create a Database User
- Scroll down to MySQL Users on the same page
- Type a username in the Username field — again, Namecheap will add your cPanel prefix automatically
- Set a password. Use the Password Generator button — it creates a 12-character password that meets MySQL complexity requirements. Copy it now.
- Click Create User
Password complexity: MySQL on Namecheap requires at minimum 1 uppercase letter, 1 number, and 1 special character. If your password fails the strength check, the user will not be created — no error, it just silently reloads. Use the generator to avoid this.
The full username (with prefix) will look like jsmith_myuser. Note this down alongside the password.
Step 4: Add User to Database — The Step Most Guides Get Wrong
This is the step where most tutorials fail. They tell you to “add the user to the database” without explaining what the privileges actually do. Here is the full explanation.
- Scroll to Add User To Database on the MySQL Databases page
- Select your user from the User dropdown
- Select your database from the Database dropdown
- Click Add
- On the next screen — Manage User Privileges — you must choose the permissions
What the Privileges Mean
| Privilege | What it allows | Needed for WordPress? |
|---|---|---|
| ALL PRIVILEGES | Full control: read, write, create tables, drop tables, alter structure, lock tables | ✅ Yes |
| SELECT | Read data only | Partial — not enough alone |
| INSERT | Add new rows | Partial |
| UPDATE | Modify existing rows | Partial |
| DELETE | Remove rows | Partial |
| CREATE | Create new tables | Needed for install |
| DROP | Delete tables | Needed for updates/migrations |
| ALTER | Change table structure | Needed for plugin updates |
| INDEX | Create/drop indexes | Needed for performance plugins |
| LOCK TABLES | Lock tables during writes | Needed for backup plugins |
For WordPress: tick ALL PRIVILEGES. WordPress requires full database control during installation (creates 12+ tables), during plugin updates (alters table structure), during backup (locks tables). If you grant only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, the WordPress install will fail at the table creation step.
For read-only reporting tools: grant SELECT only.
For a staging database user: grant SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE — no DROP or ALTER, so the staging user cannot accidentally delete production tables.
- Tick ALL PRIVILEGES at the top (this selects all boxes at once)
- Click Make Changes
You will see: “User [username] has been added to the database [database].” The connection is now live.
Step 5: Note Your Connection Details
You need these four values to configure any application:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Database host | localhost (for apps on the same server) |
| Database name | Your full prefixed name, e.g. jsmith_mysite |
| Database username | Your full prefixed user, e.g. jsmith_myuser |
| Database password | The password you set in Step 3 |
For WordPress: enter these in the wp-config.php file (or the setup wizard will prompt for them). The host is always localhost for WordPress on the same Namecheap shared hosting account.
Step 6: Verify with phpMyAdmin
- In cPanel, go to Databases → phpMyAdmin
- In the left sidebar, click your database name
- You should see the database listed (empty if no tables yet, or tables if WordPress has been installed)
If the database does not appear in phpMyAdmin, the user was not correctly linked. Repeat Step 4.
If phpMyAdmin shows “Access denied”, the user password is wrong or the user–database link was not saved. Check the MySQL Users section in cPanel.
Remote MySQL Access (Optional)
By default, MySQL on Namecheap shared hosting only accepts connections from localhost — i.e. applications on the same server. This is correct for WordPress.
If you need to connect from a remote tool like MySQL Workbench or TablePlus from your local machine:
- In cPanel, go to Databases → Remote MySQL
- Enter your IP address (find it at whatismyip.com)
- Click Add Host
Namecheap does not allow wildcard % remote access on shared hosting for security reasons. You must enter specific IP addresses. If your IP changes (home broadband), update this list each time.
Remote MySQL connection string: host: your-server.namecheap.com | port: 3306 | user: jsmith_myuser | password: [your password]. Find your server hostname in cPanel → General Information → Shared IP Address.
Importing an Existing Database
If you are migrating a site and have a .sql file to import:
- Open phpMyAdmin in cPanel
- Click your database name in the left sidebar
- Click the Import tab
- Click Choose File and select your .sql file
- Leave format as SQL, click Go
File size limit: phpMyAdmin on Namecheap shared hosting has a 50 MB upload limit by default. For databases larger than 50 MB, use cPanel’s Backup Wizard → Restore function instead, or compress the .sql file to .sql.gz (phpMyAdmin accepts gzip-compressed SQL).
3 Common MySQL Setup Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Error establishing a database connection” in WordPress | Wrong database name, username, password, or host in wp-config.php | Check wp-config.php — host must be localhost, database name and user must include the cPanel prefix |
| WordPress install fails at “Running installer” | User not granted ALL PRIVILEGES | Go to MySQL Databases → Add User to Database → tick ALL PRIVILEGES → Make Changes |
| phpMyAdmin shows empty left sidebar | You are logged in as a user that has no database linked | phpMyAdmin auto-selects a user — check cPanel → MySQL Users → your user has at least one database linked |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many MySQL databases can I have on Namecheap?
Unlimited on all shared hosting plans (Stellar, Stellar Plus, Stellar Business). There is no hard cap. In practice, shared hosting server resources are finite, but there is no database count limit in your control panel.
What MySQL version does Namecheap use?
Namecheap shared hosting runs MySQL 8.0 as of 2026. This is compatible with WordPress 6.x, Laravel 10/11, and all mainstream PHP frameworks. MySQL 8.0 requires all passwords to use the caching_sha2_password authentication plugin — older tools that expect mysql_native_password may need an update.
Can I create a database without cPanel?
No. On Namecheap shared hosting, MySQL databases can only be created via cPanel. You do not have SSH root access or direct MySQL root access. If you need SSH access to run raw MySQL commands, you need a VPS plan (from £3.17/mo ex-VAT).
How do I back up my MySQL database?
In cPanel: Backup Wizard → Back Up → MySQL Databases → select your database → click the database name to download a .sql.gz file. You can also use phpMyAdmin → Export → Quick → Go to download a .sql file. For automated backups, Namecheap’s CodeGuard add-on (£1.66/mo ex-VAT) backs up databases daily.
What is the difference between MySQL Databases and MySQL Database Wizard?
MySQL Database Wizard walks you through database creation, user creation, and privilege assignment as a three-step guided flow — easier for first-time users. MySQL Databases is the full management screen where you can see all databases, all users, and all assignments on one page. Both create identical results; the Wizard just splits the process across screens.
