Cross-Platform PHP Database Connection Guide: Windows, Linux, and macOS Practical Tutorial

Overview of Cross-Platform PHP Database Connections

In modern application development, running applications across multiple platforms is essential. PHP's popularity makes cross-platform database connections a key skill for developers. This article explains how to use PHP to connect to various databases on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Using PDO for Cross-Platform Connection

PDO (PHP Data Objects) is the recommended method in PHP for cross-platform database connections. It provides a unified API to interact with different database systems.

Connection Example

<?php
// Connect to MySQL database
$dsn = 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydb;charset=utf8';
$user = 'username';
$password = 'password';

try {
    // Create a PDO instance
    $pdo = new PDO($dsn, $user, $password);
    $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);

    // Execute query
    $statement = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users");
    $statement->execute();

    // Fetch results
    $users = $statement->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

    // Loop through results
    foreach ($users as $user) {
        echo $user['name'] . "\n";
    }
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    // Handle errors
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

Using Native Drivers

In addition to PDO, you can use database-specific native drivers:

• MySQLi: for MySQL
• PgSQL: for PostgreSQL
• SQLite3: for SQLite

Connection Example (MySQLi)

<?php
// Connect to MySQL database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "mydb");

// Check connection
if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    echo "Connect failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error;
    exit;
}

// Execute query
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT * FROM users");

// Fetch results
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    echo $row['name'] . "\n";
}

// Close connection
$mysqli->close();
?>

Practical Cross-Platform Example

Suppose your PHP web application needs to connect to different databases on different platforms:

• Windows: MySQL
• Linux: PostgreSQL
• macOS: SQLite

By defining database details in a configuration file, your PHP code can dynamically load the appropriate connection logic based on the platform:

<?php
// Detect platform
$platform = strtoupper(substr(PHP_OS, 0, 3));

// Load platform-specific connection logic
switch ($platform) {
    case 'WIN':
        require_once 'connect_mysql.php';
        break;
    case 'LIN':
        require_once 'connect_pgsql.php';
        break;
    case 'MAC':
        require_once 'connect_sqlite.php';
        break;
    default:
        echo 'Unsupported platform';
        exit;
}

// Perform database operations...
?>

This approach allows your application to connect to databases on any operating system, achieving true cross-platform compatibility.