you are missing a required extension to php that mediawiki requires to run please install
Topic on Project:Support desk
I installed MediaWiki 1.27 onto a machine running Ubuntu 16.04. I am told I am missing required extensions to PHP that MediaWiki requires to run. These are mbstring and xml. The problem is that they are installed.
Straight from my /var/cache/apt/ are the files I have installed:
So why isn’t this working?
Are they also activated inside php.ini?
Thank you very much 33.176, that was the tip I needed. I found that in Ubuntu 16.04, the php.ini is located in /etc/php/7.0/apache2/ and once inside there I didn’t see any trace of a mbstring at all.
Additional searching led me to a utility called phpenmod. I executed:
and I got to see the beginning of the installer process that I know and love.
phpenmod mbstring xml and restarting apache after that with systemctl restart apache2 did the thing.
You made my day, migration is finally complete.
I have a similar problem since about 2 weeks ago. When I run update.php, running mediawiki 1.32 on ArchLinux, I get the following error:
Missing one or more required components of PHP. You are missing a required extension to PHP that Mediwiki needs. Please install:
Original exception: [a8c769856137488beb76f0b1] /mediawiki/index.php/Adjectives Wikimedia\Rdbms\DBQueryError from line 1496 of /usr/share/webapps/mediawiki/includes/libs/rdbms/database/Database.php.
So basically, php is working but evidently not detecting mbstring, depsite updating the database, php itself, php-apache and restarting both httpd and mysqld.
Many thanks for any help. This is driving me crazy
Possible issues with buildpack with Mediawiki #312
Comments
dgarci10 commented Jun 17, 2019
<
«name»: «Bluemix»,
«build»: «270030»,
«support»: «http://ibm.com»,
«version»: 0,
«description»: «IBM Bluemix»,
«authorization_endpoint»: «https://login.w3ibm.bluemix.net/UAALoginServerWAR»,
«token_endpoint»: «http://uaa.w3ibm.bluemix.net»,
«min_cli_version»: null,
«min_recommended_cli_version»: null,
«api_version»: «2.92.0»,
«app_ssh_endpoint»: «ssh.w3ibm.bluemix.net:2222»,
«app_ssh_host_key_fingerprint»: «b6:98:0b:3e:33:1e:c1:51:1b:3f:06:6e:3f:da:6f:d9»,
«app_ssh_oauth_client»: «ssh-proxy»,
«doppler_logging_endpoint»: «wss://doppler.w3ibm.bluemix.net:443»
>
cf version 6.41.0+dd4c76cdd.2018-11-28
If you were attempting to accomplish a task, what was it you were attempting to do?
I was attempting to install Mediawiki 1.32.2 by following their basic installation guide on their page, however, I run into «MediaWiki now also has some external dependencies that need to be installed via composer or from a separate git repo. Please see mediawiki.org for help on installing the required components.»
Upon several googling I found a guide that told me to remove a specific file ( I forgot what it was and can’t find the link) and it allowed me to get past this issue but then I had the issues that I was missing the extensions mbstring, & fileinfo.
To see if this was just me failing to install Mediawiki, I tried to install phpMyAdmin, and I run into the issues that mysqli extension is also missing.
However, I have installed both MediaWiki and phpMyAdmin locally without any issues. so I am wondering if it could be the build pack, as I am trying to replicate an app someone had previously created. They use the same Mediawiki software but under build pack on cloud foundry it just says «no runtime» instead of «PHP_BUILDPACK»
I have tried following comments from this link but no luck:
#214
What did you expect to happen?
I expected to run into the media wiki install page. I did this locally to confirm I was doing the right steps and and I got successfully to the installation page.
What was the actual behavior?
I get the error that I must use composer to install external dependencies but I did.
Please confirm where necessary:
The text was updated successfully, but these errors were encountered:
We are unable to convert the task to an issue at this time. Please try again.
The issue was successfully created but we are unable to update the comment at this time.
Topic on Project:Support desk
Enabled by hosting provider.
FTP installed unzipped files into /wiki folder. Ran /wiki.index.php file and came up with this error.
Please help with a fix. Trying to install direct from domain. PHP 5.6 currently with installed forums (database mysql) that I will be attempting to link to but cannot get Mediawiki installed.
MediaWiki 1.30 internal error
Installing some PHP extensions is required.
Required components
You are missing a required extension to PHP that MediaWiki requires to run. Please install:
As the error suggests, apparently you need the PHP extension fileinfo to be installed.
What kind of hosting are you on? If you are on Shared hosting, then you will have to ask your hosting provider (it isn’t Lunarpages, is it?) to get that installed for you otherwise you will have to do it yourself.
I am having the same problem and I am with Lunarpages. They have refused to enable fileinfo. Is that why you mentioned them?
Yes. There was recently another person using Lunarpages hosting who made a similar complaint regarding fileinfo unavailability.
Looks like time to move to another host. There appear to be several hosting services with better prices and much better reviews than Lunarpages.
I don’t know where to get the file or where to put it. I have my own host, so I have access to the files. I downloaded the zip and ftp uploaded it to my domain, why is this file missing?
Nevermind, I seemed to have worked it out. It’s a file the host could enable/disable.
Error : Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress
6 Answers 6
The error you got Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress is because you’re server is not having the MySQL Extension which is required for WordPress to run
If you are using Windows Based Operating System then you should enable the mysql extension in your xampp
i.e., You should uncomment the following lines in your php.ini
Or If you use Linux based Operating System then you should install mysql from the Terminal by
and then uncomment the following line in you php.ini
Note :
What ever the Operating System you use, You should restart / stop and start your Xampp Server after uncommenting the php.ini file
If you’re working online then you should contact your host provider to enable the MySQL Extension for your Account.
In Windows, you need to setup your php.ini like this:
uncomment the line extension=php_mysqli.dll
find the «extension_dir» parameter and set the path to ext directory of your php installation, like this:
This answer is specific to those who use HostGator for their WordPress site, but the premise is still the same as for which files to manipulate, steps 1-3 will just be different for you to get to the correct files with your specific Host.
Here is how I fixed this error: Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress. Deprecated: Directive ‘allow_url_include’ is deprecated in Unknown on line 0
This should fix the issue once you save those changes.
How to Fix “Your PHP Installation Appears to Be Missing the MySQL Extension Which Is Required by WordPress” Error
Trying to install WordPress or visit your WordPress site only to encounter an error that says “Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress.”?
As with any WordPress error message, it can be frustrating to encounter a problem that prevents you from using/accessing your WordPress site.
However, don’t despair!
Generally, this error means that something is going wrong with the code on your site and something is preventing WordPress from being able to connect to its MySQL database.
In this article, we’ll go over what that “something” might be and share some tips on how to troubleshoot and fix this error message.
What Causes the WordPress Missing MySQL Extension Error?
As we mentioned in the introduction, the error message “Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress” steps from some issue with the code/scripts on your server.
Specifically, this error means that the PHP on your server doesn’t have the necessary extension to connect your WordPress site to its MySQL database.
There are two main reasons why this might be the case:
1. You’re Using an Outdated Version of WordPress with PHP 7+
If you’re using a very old version of WordPress with a modern version of PHP, you might encounter this error because PHP 7.0 deprecated the MySQL extension in favor of MySQLi. That is, PHP 7+ no longer includes the MySQL extension that WordPress is looking for.
Modern versions of WordPress will instead use the newer PDO_MySQL or MySQLi extensions. However, older versions of WordPress (below version 3.9) might cause this problem.
2. You’re Using PHP 5.6 or Lower but the Extension Is Missing or Improperly Configured
The other likely cause is that you are using PHP 5.6 (before the MySQL extension was deprecated), but the extension is either missing or improperly configured.
How to Fix “Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress”
Now that you know what’s going on, let’s go over some tips for how to troubleshoot and fix the issue.
1. Check What Version of PHP You’re Using
The first step to diagnose this issue is to figure out which version of PHP your WordPress site’s server is running. The answer to this question will dictate the next steps that you take.
To check this, connect to your WordPress site’s server using FTP. You can get your FTP credentials from your web host and you’ll also need an FTP client to connect.
If your host is using cPanel, you can use the cPanel File Manager tool.
Once you’ve connected to your server, create a new file called phpinfo.php in the root directory of your WordPress site. This should be the same folder that contains your wp-config.php file.
Then, edit the file and add the following code snippet:
Once you save the file (and re-upload the saved version if needed), navigate to yoursite.com/phpinfo.php, making sure to replace yoursite.com with your actual domain name.
You should see a screen that displays a lot of different information about the PHP configuration on your server. Scroll down to the Core section and look for the PHP Version item. Pay attention to the numbers – you should see something like x.x.x. E.g. 7.2.25 or 5.6.8:
How to check your WordPress site’s PHP version
If your PHP version starts with a “7”, that usually means that you need to update the WordPress software. On the other hand, if you’re still using PHP 5.X, you might be missing the MySQL extension.
Sign Up For the Newsletter
Want to know how we increased our traffic over 1000%?
Join 20,000+ others who get our weekly newsletter with insider WordPress tips!
Note – at Kinsta, we strongly recommend using the latest version of PHP. In fact, we don’t support versions below PHP 7.3. These older versions have slower performance and, because they no longer receive security updates, could pose a security risk to your site.
2. Update the Core WordPress Software
If your server is using PHP 7+, the most likely cause of this error is that you’re running an old version of WordPress. If you’re using WordPress version 3.9 or lower, that can trigger this error.
Therefore, the fix is to update your WordPress software, which will also come with lots of other features, security, and performance improvements.
To manually upgrade your WordPress version, first, make sure you have a backed up version of your site. Then, go to WordPress.org and download the most recent copy of the WordPress software.
Once you’ve downloaded it, extract the zip file to your computer. Then, open the folder that contains all of the WordPress files and delete the following items:
Once you’ve deleted those items, upload the remaining files/folders to your server via FTP. When prompted about duplicate files by your FTP client, tell it to overwrite all files:
Reinstall WordPress by overwriting the existing files
Once the file uploads finish, your WordPress site should be running the most recent version and your issue should be fixed.
As a follow-up step, you should also make sure to update all of your plugins and themes to the latest versions as well. You can follow these guides:
3. Check to See If the MySQL Extension Is Installed
If your server is still using PHP 5.6 or lower, your server might be missing the MySQL extension that WordPress requires.
To check if this is the case, go back to the phpinfo.php file that you uploaded to your server in Step #1.
Look for a section named either mysql or mysqli.
If the MySQL extension is installed, you should see a version number next to the Client API library version item:
How to see if WordPress MySQL extension is installed
If you can’t find this information, that means the MySQL extension is not installed. The best solution is usually to reach out to your host’s support staff and ask them to install it for you.
Note – again, we highly recommend not to use PHP versions below 7.3 because they no longer receive security updates and don’t perform as well as newer versions.
Unless you absolutely must continue using PHP 5.6 or lower, a much better solution is to upgrade your server to PHP 7.3+ instead of putting time into properly configuring an older version of PHP. You can follow our guide on how to update the PHP version of your WordPress site and how to install PHP on any server.
4. Make Sure PHP Extension Is Configured Properly
If you’re using PHP 5.6 or lower and the extension is installed, the issue might be that it’s not configured properly. Two common issues are:
You can find the location of your php.ini file in the phpinfo.php file that you created before:
How to find WordPress php.ini file path
First, we recommend backing up the existing file by downloading it to your local computer. Then, try deleting the php.ini file and see if that fixes the problem.
Summary
The “Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress” message is a frustrating error to encounter because it seems so technical.
However, with the steps in this article, you should be able to diagnose and fix the issue.
Our recommended solution is to make sure you’re using the most recent versions of both PHP and WordPress.
If you use PHP 7.3+ and WordPress 5.0+, you should be able to automatically fix this error and get your site working again, while also benefiting from all of the other performance, security, and feature enhancements that come from updating.
Save time, costs and maximize site performance with:
All of that and much more, in one plan with no long-term contracts, assisted migrations, and a 30-day-money-back-guarantee. Check out our plans or talk to sales to find the plan that’s right for you.
Hand-picked related articles
How to Fix the XAMPP Error “MySQL Shutdown Unexpectedly” (3 Methods)
How to Quickly Fix the 401 Unauthorized Error (5 Methods)
How To Add nofollow Links In WordPress
How to Install WordPress Locally
Award-winning WordPress hosting platform
© 2021 Kinsta Inc. All rights reserved.
Legal information
Kinsta® and WordPress® are registered trademarks.