Which PHP function is used to delete an existing database?

PHP uses the mysql_query() function to delete a MySQL database. However, this function is deprecated since PHP 5.5.0 and removed in PHP 7.0.0. Modern PHP applications should use mysqli or PDO instead.

Syntax (Legacy)

bool mysql_query( sql, connection );

Parameters

Modern Approach Using MySQLi

Here's how to delete a database using the recommended MySQLi extension ?

<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "your_username";
$password = "your_password";

// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password);

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

// SQL to delete database
$sql = "DROP DATABASE test_database";

if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
    echo "Database deleted successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error deleting database: " . $conn->error;
}

$conn->close();
?>

Using PDO

Alternative approach using PDO (PHP Data Objects) ?

<?php
try {
    $pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost", "username", "password");
    $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    
    $sql = "DROP DATABASE test_database";
    $pdo->exec($sql);
    echo "Database deleted successfully";
    
} catch(PDOException $e) {
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

Conclusion

While mysql_query() was historically used to delete databases, modern PHP development requires MySQLi or PDO. Always use proper error handling when performing database operations to ensure robust applications.