PHP Installation Appears To Be Missing the MySQL Extension

The error "PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension" commonly occurs when setting up WordPress on a new Linux VPS. This happens because the MySQL extension for PHP is not installed by default on many operating systems. This guide shows you how to install the required extension and complete your WordPress installation successfully.

How to Fix the Missing MySQL Extension

1. Step 1: Connect via SSH and check PHP version

   Connect to your Linux VPS using SSH and verify which PHP version you are running:

   php -v

   Alternatively, create a file named info.php in your public_html directory with this content:

   <?php phpinfo(); ?>

   Then access the file through your web browser to see detailed PHP information.

2. Step 2: Install MySQL extension for Ubuntu/Debian

   If you are running Ubuntu or Debian with PHP 7.x, execute these commands:

   apt-get update
   apt-get install php7.0-mysql

   For PHP 5.x, use:

   apt-get update
   apt-get install php-mysql

   To search for all available MySQL-related packages:

   apt-cache search mysql

3. Step 3: Install MySQL extension for CentOS/RHEL

   If you are running CentOS or RHEL with PHP 7.x, execute these commands:

   yum update
   yum install php70w-mysql

   For PHP 5.x, use:

   yum update
   yum install php-mysql

   To search for all available MySQL-related packages:

   yum search mysql

4. Step 4: Restart your web server

   For the changes to take effect, restart the appropriate service:

   If using Apache:

   systemctl restart apache2

   If using Nginx with PHP-FPM:

   systemctl restart php-fpm

5. Step 5: Continue WordPress installation

   Return to your WordPress setup in the web browser. If the MySQL extension was installed correctly, the error message will no longer appear and you can proceed with the WordPress installation.