WordPress Error Establishing a Database Connection: Here Are the Solutions

One of the most common issues you’ll find in the world’s most popular web content management system is the WordPress Error “Establishing a Database Connection.” With as many as 810 million WordPress websites worldwide, it’s an error that can cause headaches to thousands daily. 

That’s precisely why we wanted to explain what this error means and provide a simple step-by-step guide for fixing it. You’ll also learn how to avoid it in the future. Let’s begin. 

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Error Establishing a Database Connection: What Does It Mean? 

The ubiquitous “Error Establishing a Database Connection” occurs in your WordPress website when it can’t communicate with the web builder’s database. 

Every time this happens, the visitors to your website see a white screen with these words, so they can’t see any actual content. In other words, your site can’t load correctly due to the error. So, don’t confuse it with different issues that slow your WordPress site. 

So, how does this error happen, and why? Unfortunately, it’s a symptom, not a single issue, so it can occur due to one of several reasons:

• Incorrect database credentials — This is the most common cause, and the error occurs when the wp-config.php file holds the wrong credentials. Using proper data validation best practices during setup or configuration helps ensure that key fields like database name, username, and password are correctly formatted and complete, minimizing setup errors and supporting a stable connection.
• Database server issue — Whenever the server on which the database is stored is overloaded, down, or going through some network issues, WordPress won’t be able to reach it. 
• Database corruption — Like any other data storage system, databases can become corrupted. This is usually caused by plugin or theme conflicts, malware, failed updates, or power loss. 

Besides these, there are a few other less common causes of the Establishing a Database Connection Error in WordPress, including corrupted WordPress files or plugins, incorrect website URLs, and insufficient database user privileges. 

Repairing the Error, Step-By-Step 

Now that you understand the error, it’s time to explain how to fix one of WordPress's most common problems. Follow the next few steps to correct the error message. 

Check Your Database Credentials in wp-config.php 

Since the most common cause of the Establishing a Database Connection error are inaccurate database credentials, you need to check those first. 

Use the cPanel or FTP to open the wp-config.php file and check the following credentials:

• The database name — db_name
• The username — db_user
• Your password — db_password
• Host settings — db_host

If they are incorrect, update them so they match the details your hosting provider gave, and the error should be gone. If you don't know how this is done, check a guide on how to edit the file. 

Verify Your Database Server is Running 

If it’s not the most common cause, you must check that the database server isn’t down. You can check the MySQL server by accessing the control panel provided by your hosting provider and using a database management tool like phpMyAdmin. 

If your provider has a status page, you can check it to see if the server is experiencing an outage or is undergoing maintenance. 

You can also use a PHP script to test the connection, but this is not advisable if you don't know how that works. 

Repair the WordPress Database 

If you’re also getting another error and you need to fix the database, it’s time to add the following line in the wp-config.php: 

define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

Then, visit the /wp-admin/maint/repair.php section of your site and click the Repair Database button. 

You can also use the cPanel from your hosting account. In it, you’ll need to visit the Advanced tab on the Websites page. Then, you’ll need to scroll down to the Modify Databases section, choose your database’s name, and click the Repair Database button. 

Check for Corrupt Files or Plugins 

If you suspect that a corrupted file is the culprit, it’s also worth considering whether your WordPress site has been hacked, as security breaches often lead to database and file integrity issues.

You’ll need to check your WordPress core files and re-upload them if necessary by downloading the latest WordPress version and overwriting your existing core files with new ones. It’s best to back up your site beforehand in case something goes wrong. 

As for plugins and themes, you should deactivate each individually to see which is causing the error. 

Reinstall WordPress Core Files 

Besides re-uploading, you can go with a more complete version if necessary by reinstalling your WordPress core files. 

This can mean reinstalling only the core files, but it can also affect your database, plugins, and themes. 

There are various methods for doing this, like using the update feature of your WordPress dashboard.

Contact Your Hosting Provider for Assistance 

Instead of trying to fix the error on your own by finding the underlying cause and then removing it, you can also seek help from your hosting provider. 

Contact customer support to see if there are any server issues or database-related problems that might be causing the error. And if your current host is unreliable, you may want to consider exploring WP Engine alternatives that offer better uptime and support, one of which is Webflow.

How to Avoid Database Errors in The Future 

There are a couple of things you can do to avoid experiencing the “Establishing a Database Connection” WordPress Error:

• Keep your WordPress, themes, and plugins updated. Ensure you’re regularly updating everything to fix security issues and bug issues like this error. 
• Perform regular database backups. Use a reliable backup plugin or the services of your hosting provider to perform regular backups. That way, you can quickly restore your site to the previous version if an error occurs. 
• Keep your database optimized. Since the database can get inefficient and cluttered over time, it’s important to keep optimizing it with plugins like WP-Optimize. 
• Limit the number of plugins you use. The more plugins you use, the more you increase the risk of database errors like the “Establishing a Database Connection” error.

Besides this, you can always consider WordPress alternatives to avoid errors like these altogether. That’s because some of these solutions, like Webflow, have integrated hosting, and errors like these cannot happen when your hosting is integrated with the website management system. 

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Bottom Line

As you can see, the WordPress Error “Establishing a Database Connection” is very common and can occur for various reasons. However, our guide, which delves into each of the most common reasons, should help you fix it relatively quickly. 

Bear in mind that errors like these are bound to occur, and it’s mainly because WordPress is an open-source website builder. In other words, you need to be prepared for other issues to keep happening in the future, even if you fix this one and lower the chance of it happening again.

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