Adminer + Multiple Database Types

beginner

Lightweight database management in a single PHP file.

Overview

Adminer is a full-featured database management tool written entirely in a single PHP file, originally developed as a lightweight alternative to phpMyAdmin. Despite its minimal footprint of just 470KB, Adminer supports multiple database systems including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL, Oracle, and MongoDB, making it an incredibly versatile tool for database administration. Its clean interface and zero-configuration approach have made it popular among developers who need quick database access without the complexity of larger administration tools. This stack combines Adminer with PostgreSQL 15 and MySQL 8.0, creating a comprehensive database testing and development environment. The configuration allows you to switch between different database systems from a single web interface, making it ideal for applications that need to support multiple database backends or for comparing query performance across different engines. Adminer connects to each database server through the internal Docker network, providing secure access while exposing only the web interface to the host system. Developers working on multi-database applications, database administrators managing heterogeneous environments, and teams evaluating different database technologies will find this stack particularly valuable. The combination eliminates the need to install separate management tools for each database type, while the containerized approach ensures consistent behavior regardless of the host operating system. Educational environments also benefit from this setup, as students can explore different SQL dialects and database features from a unified interface.

Key Features

Single PHP file deployment requiring only 470KB of disk space
Native support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL, Oracle, and MongoDB
Built-in SQL editor with syntax highlighting and query execution
Database schema visualization and table structure editing
CSV, SQL, and TSV export capabilities for data migration
Plugin system supporting tables-filter and tinymce rich text editing
Multiple visual themes including Nette, Pepa, and Hydra designs
Cross-database query comparison and performance analysis tools

Common Use Cases

1Multi-database application development requiring PostgreSQL and MySQL compatibility testing
2Database migration projects comparing schema and data between different engines
3Educational environments teaching SQL across multiple database systems
4Development teams prototyping applications with different database backends
5Legacy system maintenance where multiple database types coexist
6Quick database troubleshooting and query debugging in containerized environments
7Small to medium businesses managing diverse database infrastructure from a single interface

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose 2.0+ installed
Minimum 1GB RAM available for PostgreSQL and MySQL containers
Port 8080 available on the host system for Adminer web interface
Basic understanding of SQL and database concepts
Environment variables configured for POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD, and MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
Familiarity with different SQL dialects if working across multiple database types

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  adminer: 
3    image: adminer:latest
4    environment: 
5      - ADMINER_DEFAULT_SERVER=postgres
6      - ADMINER_DESIGN=nette
7      - ADMINER_PLUGINS=tables-filter tinymce
8    ports: 
9      - "8080:8080"
10    networks: 
11      - adminer-network
12    restart: unless-stopped
13
14  postgres: 
15    image: postgres:15
16    environment: 
17      - POSTGRES_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
18      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
19      - POSTGRES_DB=demo
20    volumes: 
21      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
22    networks: 
23      - adminer-network
24    restart: unless-stopped
25
26  mysql: 
27    image: mysql:8.0
28    environment: 
29      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
30      - MYSQL_DATABASE=demo
31    volumes: 
32      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
33    networks: 
34      - adminer-network
35    restart: unless-stopped
36
37volumes: 
38  postgres-data: 
39  mysql-data: 
40
41networks: 
42  adminer-network: 
43    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Adminer
2POSTGRES_USER=postgres
3POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secure_postgres_password
4MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secure_root_password

Usage Notes

1Adminer at http://localhost:8080
2Server: postgres or mysql
3Single file, lightweight
4Multiple themes available
5SQL export/import

Individual Services(3 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

adminer

adminer:
  image: adminer:latest
  environment:
    - ADMINER_DEFAULT_SERVER=postgres
    - ADMINER_DESIGN=nette
    - ADMINER_PLUGINS=tables-filter tinymce
  ports:
    - "8080:8080"
  networks:
    - adminer-network
  restart: unless-stopped

postgres

postgres:
  image: postgres:15
  environment:
    - POSTGRES_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
    - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
    - POSTGRES_DB=demo
  volumes:
    - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  networks:
    - adminer-network
  restart: unless-stopped

mysql

mysql:
  image: mysql:8.0
  environment:
    - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
    - MYSQL_DATABASE=demo
  volumes:
    - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
  networks:
    - adminer-network
  restart: unless-stopped

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  adminer:
5    image: adminer:latest
6    environment:
7      - ADMINER_DEFAULT_SERVER=postgres
8      - ADMINER_DESIGN=nette
9      - ADMINER_PLUGINS=tables-filter tinymce
10    ports:
11      - "8080:8080"
12    networks:
13      - adminer-network
14    restart: unless-stopped
15
16  postgres:
17    image: postgres:15
18    environment:
19      - POSTGRES_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
20      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
21      - POSTGRES_DB=demo
22    volumes:
23      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
24    networks:
25      - adminer-network
26    restart: unless-stopped
27
28  mysql:
29    image: mysql:8.0
30    environment:
31      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
32      - MYSQL_DATABASE=demo
33    volumes:
34      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
35    networks:
36      - adminer-network
37    restart: unless-stopped
38
39volumes:
40  postgres-data:
41  mysql-data:
42
43networks:
44  adminer-network:
45    driver: bridge
46EOF
47
48# 2. Create the .env file
49cat > .env << 'EOF'
50# Adminer
51POSTGRES_USER=postgres
52POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secure_postgres_password
53MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secure_root_password
54EOF
55
56# 3. Start the services
57docker compose up -d
58
59# 4. View logs
60docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/adminer-multi-db/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Connection failed to database server: Verify the server name matches the Docker service name (postgres or mysql) in Adminer login
MySQL authentication plugin error: Add --default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password to MySQL command or use mysql:5.7 image
PostgreSQL connection refused: Ensure POSTGRES_USER and POSTGRES_PASSWORD environment variables are set and containers are fully started
Adminer shows blank page: Check PHP memory limits and ensure port 8080 is not blocked by firewall
Cannot import large SQL files: Increase PHP upload limits by mounting custom php.ini with higher upload_max_filesize and post_max_size
Tables not visible in Adminer: Verify database user has proper SELECT privileges and the correct database/schema is selected

Community Notes

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