How do you create a MySQL database in cPanel?

Open the MySQL Databases section or the database setup wizard in cPanel. Enter a descriptive database name and create it. cPanel often adds the account username as a prefix, so the final name may be longer than the value you typed. Record the complete name shown by the panel.

Create a separate database user with a long, unique password. Then add that user to the database and grant the permissions the application needs. A WordPress installation normally receives all privileges on its own database. Creating the user alone does not give it access until the user and database are linked.

Add the full database name, username, password, and database host to the application’s configuration. On many shared hosts the host value is localhost, but some providers use a separate database server. Copy the value from the hosting documentation or an existing working configuration.

Protect these credentials as you would an administrator password. Avoid reusing one database user across unrelated sites because a compromised installation could then reach other databases. Before importing production data, verify that the new database is empty, uses the expected character set, and belongs to the correct hosting account.