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Getting Started with PHP PDO Using MVC: Connect to MariaDB and Perform CRUD
Learning how to connect PHP to a MariaDB database using PDO (PHP Data Objects) is a fundamental skill for beginner developers. In this post, we’ll create a basic MVC (Model-View-Controller) application that connects to an existing MariaDB table called people, and allows us to:
- Display all people in an HTML table
- Insert new records
- Update existing records
- Delete records
This is a beginner-friendly project and a great way to start learning modern PHP development practices.
Requirements
- PHP 8.2 or higher
- MariaDB (or MySQL)
- Apache/Nginx or localhost setup (e.g., XAMPP, MAMP)
- Basic knowledge of HTML & PHP
Database Structure
You’ll need a table named people with the following columns:
| Column | Type |
|---|---|
| id | INT, AUTO_INCREMENT, PRIMARY KEY |
| username | VARCHAR(50) |
| name | VARCHAR(100) |
| age | INT |
| verified | BOOLEAN |
Project Structure
/people-mvc/ ├── config/ │ └── database.php ├── controllers/ │ └── PeopleController.php ├── models/ │ └── Person.php ├── views/ │ └── people.php ├── index.php └── style.css
1. Database Connection (PDO)
config/database.php
class Database {
private $host = "localhost";
private $db_name = "your_database";
private $username = "your_user";
private $password = "your_password";
public $conn;
public function connect() {
$this->conn = null;
try {
$this->conn = new PDO(
"mysql:host={$this->host};dbname={$this->db_name}",
$this->username,
$this->password
);
$this->conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
} catch(PDOException $e) {
echo "Connection error: " . $e->getMessage();
}
return $this->conn;
}
}
2. Person Model
models/Person.php
require_once 'config/database.php';
class Person {
private $conn;
public function __construct() {
$db = new Database();
$this->conn = $db->connect();
}
public function getAll() {
$stmt = $this->conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM people");
$stmt->execute();
return $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
}
public function insert($username, $name, $age, $verified) {
$stmt = $this->conn->prepare("INSERT INTO people (username, name, age, verified) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)");
return $stmt->execute([$username, $name, $age, $verified]);
}
public function update($id, $username, $name, $age, $verified) {
$stmt = $this->conn->prepare("UPDATE people SET username = ?, name = ?, age = ?, verified = ? WHERE id = ?");
return $stmt->execute([$username, $name, $age, $verified, $id]);
}
public function delete($id) {
$stmt = $this->conn->prepare("DELETE FROM people WHERE id = ?");
return $stmt->execute([$id]);
}
}
3. Controller Logic
controllers/PeopleController.php
require_once 'models/Person.php';
$person = new Person();
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
if (isset($_POST['insert'])) {
$person->insert($_POST['username'], $_POST['name'], $_POST['age'], isset($_POST['verified']));
}
if (isset($_POST['update'])) {
$person->update($_POST['id'], $_POST['username'], $_POST['name'], $_POST['age'], isset($_POST['verified']));
}
if (isset($_POST['delete'])) {
$person->delete($_POST['id']);
}
}
$data = $person->getAll();
include 'views/people.php';
4. View (HTML Table Output)
views/people.php
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>People Table</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<h2>People List</h2>
<table border="1">
<tr>
<th>ID</th><th>Username</th><th>Name</th><th>Age</th><th>Verified</th><th>Actions</th>
</tr>
<?php foreach ($data as $row): ?>
<tr>
<form method="post">
<input type="hidden" name="id" value="<?= $row['id'] ?>">
<td><?= $row['id'] ?></td>
<td><input type="text" name="username" value="<?= $row['username'] ?>"></td>
<td><input type="text" name="name" value="<?= $row['name'] ?>"></td>
<td><input type="number" name="age" value="<?= $row['age'] ?>"></td>
<td><input type="checkbox" name="verified" <?= $row['verified'] ? 'checked' : '' ?>></td>
<td>
<button name="update">Update</button>
<button name="delete" onclick="return confirm('Delete this record?')">Delete</button>
</td>
</form>
</tr>
<?php endforeach; ?>
<tr>
<form method="post">
<td>#</td>
<td><input type="text" name="username"></td>
<td><input type="text" name="name"></td>
<td><input type="number" name="age"></td>
<td><input type="checkbox" name="verified"></td>
<td><button name="insert">Insert</button></td>
</form>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
5. Entry Point
index.php
<?php require_once 'controllers/PeopleController.php';
[/php]
Optional: Simple CSS
style.css
body {
font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;
padding: 20px;
}
table {
width: 100%;
border-collapse: collapse;
}
td, th {
padding: 8px;
text-align: center;
}
6: Running Your Application
To see the result:
- Place all the files in your web server directory.
- Make sure your MariaDB database is running and contains a
peopletable with the columnsid,username,name,age, andverified. - Open the
index.phpfile in your browser to see the data displayed in an HTML table.
Screenshots And Screencast
Conclusion
This simple PHP PDO MVC application will help you understand how to interact with databases using PDO and build an MVC structure for easier maintenance and scaling. Now, you can add, update, and delete records from your database with ease!
If you’re eager to expand your knowledge, don’t forget to check out my book on learning PHP and the Learning PHP course.
I am also available for one-on-one tutorials and assistance with updating or migrating PHP and database applications. Feel free to contact me here if you need personalized help.
Edward is a software engineer, web developer, and author dedicated to helping people achieve their personal and professional goals through actionable advice and real-world tools.