Error establishing database connection is a common problem often experienced by the WP users. This is one of the situations which can be handled easily.
What is meant by “error establishing database connection”?
When this error occurs, your website display will become clear (completely white), without any sign of the wrong thing that happened with the WordPress site.
The WordPress is written in two languages, namely – MySQL and PHP. All information of your website is stored in a MySQL database and the PHP is used by WordPress to fetch and store information from that database.
The message “error establishing database connection” means the system is failing to connect the PHP code with MySQL database and fetch the necessary information to build the page. This is why your website display is white.
Reasons that lead to error establishing database connection error
When you are determined to resolve the issue, your first task should be detecting the reason behind the database connection error, the following are the common culprits:
- Your website is experiencing a “heavy traffic spike” that exceeds your server’s capacity.
- If you have downloaded any plugin from an “unauthentic” source, and is poorly coded, it can also cause an issue like ‘error establishing a database connection.’
- Your login credentials have been changed, even if you did not change them. This could lead to database connection establishing error. Sometimes, switching hosting companies or any sudden changes can result in this error. If your wp-config file is not updated, then this is a very common error.
- If none of these exist, then it must be from your hosting provider. Maybe because of some technical problems from their end is causing the fetching error.
Your hosting company could play a significant role in the error establishing the database connection. If you are using a shared hosting service, then it is a very common incident. When your host server fails to load due to traffic – it leads to error establishing database connection issue. For most of the users, the output shows error while some experience slows loading. So, the only solution to this issue is, contacting the hosting provider over phone or live chat.
Error establishing database connection is really frustrating. Most of the WordPress users upload a fresh copy of WordPress to fix the error. However, for non technical website owners, there are companies providing WordPress maintenance service who not only fix the bug but also scan the site for other security issues. Given the increasing rate of cyber threats, WordPress support services are crucial for ensuring a clean and optimized site for long term online business.