Upload Multiple Files Using PHP And MariaDB

How to Upload Multiple Files in PHP (With MariaDB Integration)

Are you just starting out with PHP and want to learn how to build a multiple file upload system that saves filenames to a MariaDB database? You are in the right place.

In this post, you will learn:

• How to build a multiple file upload form using HTML
• How to handle file uploads securely with PHP (latest version)
• How to store file names in a MariaDB database
• How to manage uploads: insert, update, and delete records
• Best practices for secure and clean file handling

Step 1: Create the HTML Upload Form

<form action="" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
   <label>Select files to upload:</label>
   <input type="file" name="files[]" multiple />
   <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Upload Files">
</form>  

Step 2: PHP Script to Handle Multiple File Uploads (upload.php)

$host = 'localhost';
$db = 'file_uploads';
$user = 'your_user';
$pass = 'your_password';

$conn = new mysqli($host, $user, $pass, $db);

if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

$uploadDir = "uploads/";
$allowedTypes = ['avif', 'jpg', 'jpeg', 'png', 'gif', 'pdf'];

if (isset($_POST['submit']) && !empty($_FILES['files']['name'][0])) {
    foreach ($_FILES['files']['name'] as $key => $name) {
        $tmpName = $_FILES['files']['tmp_name'][$key];
        $error = $_FILES['files']['error'][$key];
        $size = $_FILES['files']['size'][$key];

        $ext = strtolower(pathinfo($name, PATHINFO_EXTENSION));
        
        if ($error === 0 && in_array($ext, $allowedTypes)) {
            $newName = uniqid() . '.' . $ext;
            $uploadPath = $uploadDir . $newName;

            if (move_uploaded_file($tmpName, $uploadPath)) {
               $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO uploads (filename) VALUES (?)");
               $stmt->bind_param("s", $newName);
               $stmt->execute();
               $stmt->close();
               //echo "$name uploaded successfully.<br>";
               header("Location: " . $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']);
               exit;
            } else {
               echo "Error uploading $name.<br>";
            }
        } else {
            echo "$name is not a valid file type or has an error.<br>";
        }
    }
} else {
    echo "No files selected.";
}

$conn->close();

Step 3: MariaDB Table Structure

CREATE TABLE uploads (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    filename VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    uploaded_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Bonus: Updating and Deleting Files

You can add update and delete features using simple SQL queries like:

Delete File

$stmt = $conn->prepare("DELETE FROM uploads WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("i", $id);
$stmt->execute();

Update File Name

$stmt = $conn->prepare("UPDATE uploads SET filename = ? WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("si", $newFilename, $id);
$stmt->execute();

Always remember to remove the file from the server using:

unlink('uploads/' . $filename);

Best Practices

• Always validate file types to avoid malicious uploads
• Store files outside the web root if possible
• Rename files to avoid name collisions
• Use prepared statements to protect against SQL injection
• Limit file size and number of files uploaded at once

Screenshots and Screencast

Further Learning

Book: Learning PHP

If you want to go deeper into PHP, check out my book:
Learning PHP on Amazon

Course: Learning PHP

Prefer video and interactive examples? Enroll in the full course:
Learning PHP Course

Need Help with PHP?

I offer one-on-one programming tutorials, project migration services, and custom PHP development.

Contact Me Here

Got questions? Drop them in the comments or message me directly.