Securely Connect to a Remote MySQL Server over SSH in PHP

To establish a secure tunnel for PHP database connectivity, the following SSH tunnel solution offers a robust approach.

SSH Tunnel Setup

1. Create an SSH tunnel to your MySQL database server. For this, use a command like:

ssh -fNg -L 3307:10.3.1.55:3306 [email protected] 

2. Choose a local port (e.g., 3307) and forward all traffic to the remote database server's IP and port (10.3.1.55:3306).

PHP Connection

Once the SSH tunnel is established, you can connect to the database securely through PHP using:

$smysql = mysql_connect( "127.0.0.1:3307", "dbuser", "passphrase" );
mysql_select_db( "db", $smysql ); 

This will establish a connection to the remote database via the encrypted SSH tunnel.

Benefits

• Encrypted Communication: Data is transmitted over an encrypted SSH connection, ensuring confidentiality.
• Security Enhancement: Limiting direct access to the database server reduces security vulnerabilities.
• Compatibility: Can be used with various PHP database functions, such as mysql_connect and mysqli_connect.