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Overview

CompuTécnicos uses MySQL with PDO for database connectivity. The database configuration is centralized in config/database.php and uses environment variables for flexibility across different environments.

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Connection Parameters

The following parameters control your database connection:
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DB_HOST
string
default:"localhost"
Database server hostname or IP address. Use localhost for local development or your database server IP for remote connections.
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DB_NAME
string
default:"computecnicos"
The name of the MySQL database to connect to. This database must exist before running the application.
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DB_USER
string
default:"root"
MySQL username with appropriate permissions to access the database.
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DB_PASS
string
default:"982/gs2pcbV76093fny34_"
Password for the database user.
Change the default password in production environments for security.
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DB_PORT
string
default:"3306"
MySQL server port. The standard MySQL port is 3306.

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PDO Configuration

The database connection uses the following PDO options for optimal performance and security:
  • ATTR_ERRMODE: Set to PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION to throw exceptions on database errors
  • ATTR_DEFAULT_FETCH_MODE: Set to PDO::FETCH_ASSOC for associative array results
  • ATTR_PERSISTENT: Enabled to reuse connections and reduce latency with remote databases
  • ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES: Disabled to use native prepared statements for better security
  • MYSQL_ATTR_FOUND_ROWS: Enabled to return the number of found rows instead of affected rows

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Configuration Example

Set these variables in your .env file: 
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_NAME=computecnicos
DB_USER=computecnicos_user
DB_PASS=your_secure_password
DB_PORT=3306

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Docker Configuration

When using Docker, additional environment variables are available:
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MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
string
default:"root_secret"
Root password for the MySQL container. Required when initializing the MySQL Docker container.
Use a strong password and never commit this to version control.

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Docker Ports

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DB_PORT
string
default:"3306"
The port to expose MySQL on the host machine.
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PMA_PORT
string
default:"8081"
Port for phpMyAdmin web interface to manage your database.

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Connection String

The application constructs the following PDO connection string: 
mysql:host={DB_HOST};port={DB_PORT};dbname={DB_NAME};charset=utf8mb4
The utf8mb4 charset is used to support full Unicode, including emojis and special characters.

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Error Handling

If the database connection fails, the application will terminate with an error message: 
Error de conexión a la base de datos: {error_message}
In production, consider logging errors to a file instead of displaying them to users to avoid exposing sensitive database information.

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Security Best Practices

1

Use Strong Passwords

Always use strong, unique passwords for database users. Avoid default passwords in production.
2

Limit Database Permissions

Create a dedicated database user with only the necessary permissions. Avoid using the root user.
3

Use Environment Variables

Never hardcode database credentials in your code. Always use environment variables.
4

Secure the .env File

Ensure your .env file is not committed to version control and has restricted file permissions (chmod 600).
5

Enable SSL/TLS

For remote database connections, consider enabling SSL/TLS encryption.

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Troubleshooting

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Connection Refused

If you see “Connection refused” errors:
  • Verify MySQL is running: sudo systemctl status mysql
  • Check that the port is correct (default is 3306)
  • Ensure firewall rules allow the connection

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Access Denied

If you see “Access denied” errors:
  • Verify the username and password are correct
  • Check that the user has permissions on the database: 
    GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON computecnicos.* TO 'computecnicos_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

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Database Does Not Exist

Create the database manually: 
CREATE DATABASE computecnicos CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

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