Prerequisites

Ensure you are logged in as a non-root user with sudo privileges. Additionally, a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack must be active on your Ubuntu 14.04 server before proceeding.

Step 1: Installing the Tool

Begin by refreshing your local package index and installing the phpmyadmin package directly from the Ubuntu repositories:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin

Follow the interactive prompts during installation:

• Select apache2 as the web server configuration.
• Choose yes when asked to use dbconfig-common to configure the database.
• Enter your MySQL administrator password.
• Set and confirm a specific password for the phpMyAdmin application user.

The installer automatically places a configuration file in /etc/apache2/conf-enabled/. To ensure all features work, enable the mcrypt extension and restart the web service:

sudo php5enmod mcrypt
sudo service apache2 restart

You can now access the interface by navigating to your server's IP or domain:

http://your_server_ip_or_domain/phpmyadmin

Log in using the root username and the administrative password you configured for MySQL.

Step 2: Hardening the Installation

Since phpMyAdmin is a common target for bots and attackers, adding an extra layer of authentication is highly recommended. We will configure Apache to require a password before the phpMyAdmin login page is even displayed.

Enable .htaccess Overrides

Edit the phpMyAdmin Apache configuration file to allow directive overrides:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/phpmyadmin.conf

Locate the <Directory /usr/share/phpmyadmin> section and add AllowOverride All:

<Directory /usr/share/phpmyadmin>
    Options FollowSymLinks
    DirectoryIndex index.php
    AllowOverride All
    ...
</Directory>

Save the file and reload Apache:

sudo service apache2 restart

Create the .htaccess Policy

Create an .htaccess file within the application directory:

sudo nano /usr/share/phpmyadmin/.htaccess

Insert the following content to enforce Basic Authentication:

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Admin Area"
AuthUserFile /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

This configuration tells Apache to check the credentials stored in /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd and deny access to anyone who isn't a valid user.

Generate the Password File

You need the apache2-utils package to create the password file:

sudo apt-get install apache2-utils

Use the htpasswd command to create the file and add your first user (e.g., webadmin):

sudo htpasswd -c /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd webadmin

You will be prompted to define a password for this user. To add more users later, omit the -c flag to avoid overwriting the file.

Now, when you visit the phpMyAdmin URL, the browser will prompt you for the credentials you just created before loading the databasee login screan.