storageDatabase•codePHPwebwordpresserrorerrordatabasedatabaselinkconnection•labelCommon•warningModerate

Error Establishing a Database Connection

WordPress requires a stable link between PHP and the MySQL database to serve content. This error indicates your website’s code fails to authenticate or reach the database engine. It blocks all front end and back end operations. The failure happens before the theme loads.

Frequent triggers include incorrect login data in the configuration file or a crashed database service. High traffic occasionally exhausts server memory. This exhaustion forces the database to shut down. Corrupted database tables also prevent successful connections during the initial handshake.

Symptoms

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White Screen of Death

A completely blank page appears. It shows only the text Error establishing a database connection.

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Dashboard Lockout

The wp-admin area becomes unreachable. You see a prompt suggesting a database repair.

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HTTP 500 Error

The server returns a generic internal error code. This happens when the connection times out.

Common Causes

Invalid Credentials

The database name, username, or password in wp-config.php does not match the actual database values.

Crashed MySQL Service

The database server is offline. This occurs due to low RAM or high visitor volume.

Table Corruption

Individual database tables become unreadable. This often follows a failed update or server failure.

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