PHP Get Data from Database: MySQL Connectivity and SELECT Examples

1 Short Answer

To get data from a database in PHP, use PDO to connect to MySQL, run a SELECT query, and read the result with fetch(), fetchAll(), or fetchColumn().

If your search query is php get data from database, the practical answer is: connect to MySQL, run a safe SELECT query, and choose the fetch method that matches the result shape.

2 Example Table

The examples use a small users table to show the complete PHP get data from database flow.

CREATE TABLE users (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
    status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active',
    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;

3 Connect PHP to MySQL

To explain database connectivity in PHP with reference to MySQL, focus on the DSN, credentials, and PDO options. The DSN tells PHP which MySQL host and database to use, and which character set should be applied.

<?php
$dsn = 'mysql:host=127.0.0.1;port=3306;dbname=myapp;charset=utf8mb4';
$username = 'app_user';
$password = 'change_this_password';

$options = [
    PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE            => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION,
    PDO::ATTR_DEFAULT_FETCH_MODE => PDO::FETCH_ASSOC,
    PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES   => false,
];

try {
    $pdo = new PDO($dsn, $username, $password, $options);
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    error_log('MySQL connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
    exit('Database connection failed.');
}

4 Fetch One Row, Many Rows, or One Value

One row: fetch()

$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT id, name, email FROM users WHERE id = :id');
$stmt->execute(['id' => 1]);

$user = $stmt->fetch();

if ($user) {
    echo $user['name'] . ' - ' . $user['email'];
}

Many rows: fetchAll()

$stmt = $pdo->prepare(
    'SELECT id, name, email FROM users WHERE status = :status ORDER BY created_at DESC'
);
$stmt->execute(['status' => 'active']);

$users = $stmt->fetchAll();

foreach ($users as $user) {
    echo "{$user['id']}: {$user['name']} ({$user['email']})\n";
}

One value: fetchColumn()

$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users WHERE status = :status');
$stmt->execute(['status' => 'active']);

$activeCount = (int) $stmt->fetchColumn();
echo "Active users: {$activeCount}";

5 Reusable Database Connection File

In a real project, do not repeat connection code on every page. Put it in one file and let application pages focus on queries.

<?php
// database.php
function db(): PDO
{
    static $pdo = null;

    if ($pdo === null) {
        $pdo = new PDO(
            'mysql:host=127.0.0.1;dbname=myapp;charset=utf8mb4',
            'app_user',
            'change_this_password',
            [
                PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE            => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION,
                PDO::ATTR_DEFAULT_FETCH_MODE => PDO::FETCH_ASSOC,
                PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES   => false,
            ]
        );
    }

    return $pdo;
}

<?php
// users.php
require __DIR__ . '/database.php';

$stmt = db()->prepare('SELECT id, name, email FROM users ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 20');
$stmt->execute();
$users = $stmt->fetchAll();

6 Troubleshooting

7 FAQ