How do I change the password for a MySQL database?

You can change the password for an existing MySQL database using your account management control panel.

To do so:

• Login to the customer control panel
• Click MySQL Databases
• Locate the database you want to change and click Change
• Type the new password (twice) in the boxes and click Save

Your database will use the new password within two minutes.

A warning about password security

Never use the same password for MySQL and something else (for example, don't use the same password as your master account password, or your e-mail password, or your online banking password).

That's because you'll probably have to put the MySQL password in a "plain text" configuration file on your Web site so that your script can find it. If your script has a programming bug ("security vulnerability"), it might be possible for a "hacker" to see that file and read the password.

If the MySQL password is different from your other passwords, the damage that a hacker could do knowing the MySQL password is fairly limited. But if the password is the same as your other passwords, the hacker could use it to cause much more damage.

Change a password within MySQL

It's also possible for advanced users to use the MySQL command line to change the password for a database, like this:

SET PASSWORD = 'new_password';

This works on our systems. However, be sure you don't remove the password — in other words, don't do something like this:

SET PASSWORD = '';  -- DO NOT DO THIS!

Removing the password allows anyone to connect to your database. If you do this, our systems will detect it and disable the database until you choose a new password.