How to use HeidiSQL (or similar MySQL managers) with hosted databases

Question

Hello!

I'm using HeidiSQL ( http://www.heidisql.com/ ) to manage my databases at work (I prefer this over phpMyAdmin).

Now, I want to use HeidiSQL with my personnal host plan, but when I connect to MySQL with my host, I connect with "localhost" in PHP but at work, I connect to databases with something like "supersqlserver.foo.net"...

Is there a way to connect to my hosted database with HeidiSQL? Is it common practice with hosts to allow the use of software like this?

BTW, the host where I want HeidiSQL to work is HostGator.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Ask your HostGator support. They should be able to help you. Maybe they only listen on localhost, and then you can't connect from the outside. It's rather common to not listen for external MySQL connections due to security policies, but some hosts allow it.

Answer 2

When you can't connect to the MySQL server directly, for example a firewall blocks the access from all network protocols, except HTTP protocol, you can use HTTP tunneling. Here an example of connecting to MySQl through Httptunnel using HeidiSQL.