Deploy Adminer on Ubuntu with Docker — a lightweight database management tool that supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MongoDB from one clean web interface.
Grab the automated bash script from GitHub to follow along with the video.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/databases/adminer/adminer-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x adminer-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash adminer-ubuntu.shThe script installs Docker and starts Adminer on port 8086. No database is bundled — Adminer connects to any existing database server you specify.
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mhmdali94/Docker/main/databases/adminer/adminer-ubuntu.sh
chmod +x adminer-ubuntu.sh
sudo bash adminer-ubuntu.shOpen your browser and navigate to Adminer:
http://<your-server-ip>:8086Choose your database engine (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MongoDB) from the System dropdown. Enter the server host, port, username, password, and database name. Click Login to connect and begin managing your database.
Browse tables, run SQL queries from the SQL command editor, import or export data in CSV and SQL formats, and manage users and privileges — all from any browser without installing client software.
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 8086 | Adminer Web UI |
Adminer (formerly phpMinAdmin) is a full-featured database management tool distributed as a single PHP file. Unlike bulky alternatives, Adminer handles MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL, Oracle, and MongoDB from one minimalist web interface. It provides SQL query execution, table browsing, data import/export, user management, and database structure visualization — everything you need to manage any database engine without installing dedicated client software on each machine.
Adminer gives you a complete, browser-based database management interface that works with virtually any database engine — no client installation required on each developer's machine. Its single-file PHP architecture means there is nothing to configure beyond the Docker container. Teams managing multiple database types across different projects eliminate the need for engine-specific desktop clients like MySQL Workbench, pgAdmin, or DataGrip, replacing them all with one lightweight web tool.
Adminer runs on port 8086 by default. This port must never be accessible from the public internet — it is a database management interface with no rate limiting or brute-force protection beyond the database credentials themselves. Restrict port 8086 to localhost or your private network using UFW: ufw deny 8086. For remote team access, route through WireGuard VPN. If you must expose it externally, use Nginx Proxy Manager with HTTPS and HTTP Basic Authentication as an additional layer before the Adminer login.
phpMyAdmin is the most established MySQL web interface but only supports MySQL/MariaDB and is significantly heavier than Adminer. pgAdmin 4 is the definitive tool for PostgreSQL with a full-featured query planner, ERD viewer, and server monitoring — use it if PostgreSQL is your primary engine. DBeaver is a powerful open-source desktop client supporting all major databases with an ERD diagram editor. TablePlus and DataGrip are excellent commercial desktop clients with polished interfaces. For pure MySQL/MariaDB, phpMyAdmin remains the standard; for everything else, Adminer's multi-engine support is a compelling advantage.
Don't use Adminer as your primary database management tool if you heavily rely on ERD diagrams, query plan visualization, or performance analysis — pgAdmin and DBeaver are more suitable. For very large databases (millions of rows), Adminer's memory-loaded result sets become unwieldy; use command-line tools for bulk operations. Adminer is not suitable for database schema design work — use a dedicated modeling tool. In highly secure environments where any web-based database access is prohibited by policy, use SSH tunnels with a local GUI client instead.
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Adminer supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, Elasticsearch, and MongoDB. All from a single lightweight PHP file. This multi-engine support eliminates the need for separate management clients for each database type.
Adminer is a single PHP file versus phpMyAdmin's hundreds of files. Adminer is significantly lighter, faster to load, and supports more database engines. phpMyAdmin only supports MySQL and MariaDB. Adminer has a cleaner interface and better security defaults. Most developers prefer Adminer for its simplicity and multi-database support.
Only if properly secured. Never expose Adminer to the public internet. Always place it behind a VPN (WireGuard) or restrict its port to trusted IPs only. Add HTTPS via a reverse proxy and HTTP Basic Authentication as an extra layer. Use a database user with minimum necessary privileges rather than the database root account.
Yes. Adminer can connect to any database server reachable from its host. Enter the server hostname or IP and port in the login form. For Docker deployments, databases on the same Docker network are reachable by container name. Remote databases must have firewall rules allowing access from the Adminer server's IP.
Yes. Adminer imports SQL dump files and CSV data, and exports tables in SQL, CSV, TSV, and other formats. For large databases, use mysqldump or pg_dump command-line tools for faster and more reliable exports — Adminer loads results into memory which is slow for very large datasets.
Select 'PostgreSQL' from the System dropdown. For the server, enter the PostgreSQL container name if both containers are on the same Docker network (e.g., 'postgres'). Use port 5432, your PostgreSQL username, password, and database name. If on different networks, use the server's IP address instead.
Yes. Adminer supports custom CSS themes via a design file. Download a dark theme from the Adminer community plugins (adminer.org/en/extension/#design) and mount it as a volume in the Docker container. There are several popular dark themes available including dark-hive and flat themes from the community.
Yes. Adminer is open-source under the Apache and GPL licenses. It is free for all personal and commercial use with no restrictions. The project is maintained on GitHub at vrana/adminer. There is no paid version or premium tier — all features are included in the free release.