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Run Adminer on Docker

What is Adminer?​

Adminer is a lightweight, single-file database administration tool that supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL and more from one simple interface. It is not an application with its own database; it is a PHP frontend that connects to a database server you already have running, prized for being far smaller and simpler than heavier admin UIs.

Why run Adminer in Docker?​

Docker packages Adminer (a small PHP application under the hood) into an isolated container that runs the same on every machine. Instead of installing PHP onto your laptop just to run a database GUI, or downloading a single PHP file and figuring out how to serve it, you run a disposable container that connects straight to whichever database container is already part of your stack, and vanishes cleanly when you delete it.

The catch: wiring a database admin UI to the right container, network and credentials yourself is fiddly enough that most people skip it. That is exactly what Laradock removes, because it is already done.

Why Laradock is the best fit for Adminer​

Unlike most of the other projects in this guide, Adminer is not something you add to Laradock: Laradock already ships it as a ready-to-use built-in service (see Use Adminer). There is no install step, no codebase to clone, no config file to write, just a service to switch on:

  • One line to turn on. docker compose up -d adminer and it is ready to point at any database container in your stack.
  • Works with more than MySQL. Adminer's single interface talks to MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and others, matching whatever database service you already picked in Laradock.
  • Nothing is hidden and you own everything. No generated files, no magic. The adminer/compose.yml and its Dockerfile are right there for you to read and edit.
  • Fits whatever else you are running. Laradock is framework-agnostic, so the same Adminer service works whether the app behind that database is Laravel, WordPress, or plain PHP.

Concretely, Laradock's Adminer service is pre-wired to talk to your database containers over the internal Docker network, with its port, default server, theme and plugins all controlled from .env.

Run Adminer on Docker with Laradock​

1. Add Laradock to your project​

cd my-project
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock && cp .env.example .env

2. Start your database and Adminer​

Adminer needs a database to point at. Start both together:

docker compose up -d mysql adminer

Using PostgreSQL or MariaDB instead? Start that service and point Adminer's login screen at it by default:

ADM_DEFAULT_SERVER=postgres
docker compose up -d postgres adminer

The full catalog of other services is here.

3. Point Adminer at the containers​

There is nothing to configure by hand: Adminer's login screen asks for a server, and ADM_DEFAULT_SERVER in .env pre-fills it with the container name (mysql by default). Use the same credentials as the database container itself, default / secret for the stock mysql service from mysql/defaults.env, unless you overrode them in Laradock's .env (it always wins).

4. Open and log in​

docker compose up -d mysql adminer

Then open http://localhost:8081 (the default ADM_PORT) and log in with system MySQL, server mysql, user default, password secret, or whatever you overrode those to. If you are running Adminer alongside phpMyAdmin, note they share the same default port; set ADM_PORT to something else in .env so both can run at once.

Change the PHP version anytime​

Adminer's own container is built and versioned by Laradock independently of the PHP_VERSION your application uses, so there is nothing to change here for a typical setup. If you do need to rebuild the service after editing adminer/Dockerfile, the same pattern applies to it as to every other Laradock service:

docker compose build adminer

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install Adminer or PHP to use it with Laradock?​

No. It is already a built-in Laradock service; docker compose up -d adminer is the entire install step.

Which services should I start to use Adminer?​

The database you want to browse, plus adminer, for example mysql adminer or postgres adminer. No web server or workspace container is required just to browse the database.

Can Adminer connect to more than one database at a time?​

Yes. Adminer's login screen lets you pick the server, system and credentials each time you sign in, so one running Adminer container can browse any database container it can reach on the Docker network, not just the one in ADM_DEFAULT_SERVER.

Is phpMyAdmin a better fit than Adminer?​

Both ship as built-in Laradock services and both connect to the same database containers. Adminer is a single lightweight file that also speaks PostgreSQL and other engines; phpMyAdmin has a deeper feature set focused specifically on MySQL/MariaDB. See Run phpMyAdmin on Docker for the same walkthrough with phpMyAdmin.

Is this the same setup I would use in production?​

Most teams do not expose Adminer in production at all, since it is a convenience tool for local and staging work. If you do run it somewhere reachable, put it behind authentication and network restrictions; see Prepare Laradock for Production for the general hardening steps.

Comparing environments? See the full Laradock vs Others breakdown. Ready to start? Getting Started takes about five minutes.