Creation or deletion of databases in MariaDB requires privileges, typically, only given to root users or admins. Under these accounts, you have two options for deleting a database: the mysqladmin binary and a PHP script.
Note that deleted databases are irrecoverable, so exercise care in performing this operation. Furthermore, PHP scripts used for deletion do not prompt you with a confirmation before the deletion.
mysqladmin Binary
The following example demonstrates how to use the mysqladmin binary to delete an existing database:
[root@host]# mysqladmin -u root -p drop PRODUCTS Enter password:****** mysql> DROP PRODUCTS ERROR 1008 (HY000): Can't drop database 'PRODUCTS'; database doesn't exist
PHP Drop Database Script
PHP employs the mysql_query function in deleting MariaDB databases. The function uses
two parameters, one optional, and returns either a value of “true” when successful, or
“false” when not. y
Syntax
Review the following drop database script syntax:
bool mysql_query( sql, connection );
The description of the parameters is given below:
| Parameter | Description |
| sql | This required parameter consists of the SQL query needed to perform the operation. |
| connection | When not specified, this optional parameter uses the most recent connection used. |
Try the following example code for deleting a database:
<html>
<head>
<title>Delete a MariaDB Database</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
$dbhost = 'localhost:3036';
$dbuser = 'root';
$dbpass = 'rootpassword';
$conn = mysql_connect($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);
if(! $conn )
{
die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
}
echo 'Connected successfully<br />';
$sql = 'DROP DATABASE PRODUCTS';
$retval = mysql_query( $sql, $conn );
if(! $retval )
{
die('Could not delete database: ' . mysql_error());
}
echo "Database PRODUCTS deleted successfully\n";
mysql_close($conn);
?>
</body>
</html>
On successful deletion, you will see the following output:
mysql> Database PRODUCTS deleted successfully