How to Insert Form Data into Database using PHP ?

Last Updated : 21 Apr, 2025

In modern web development, Handling User Input is a fundamental task. One of the most common Operations is capturing data from a form and inserting it into database. PHP, combined with MySQL, offers a straightforward and powerful way to achieve it.

Here, we will see complete process of inserting form data into MySQL database using PHP - from setting up the database to writing secure and efficient code.

Prerequisites:

A Web Server with PHP Installed (e.g.- XAMPP, WAMP, MAMP)
A MySQL or MariaDB
A Working Code Editor (e.g.- VS Code , Sublime Text)

HTML form: First we create an HTML form that need to take user input from keyboard. HTML form is a document which stores information of a user on a web server using interactive controls. An HTML form contains different kind of information such as username, password, contact number, email id etc.

The elements that are used in an HTML form are check box, input box, radio buttons, submit buttons etc. With the help of these elements, the information of an user is submitted on the web server. The form tag is used to create an HTML form.

Syntax:

<form> Form Elements... </form>

To pass the values to next page, we use the page name with the following syntax. We can use either GET or POST method to sent data to server.

<form action=other_page.php  method= POST/GET>
    Form Elements...
</form>

Note: XAMPP stands for cross-platform, Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl. It is among the simple light-weight local servers for website development. In PHP, we can connect to database using localhost XAMPP web server.

Insert Form Data into Database Using PHP (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Start the XAMPP Server

Open the XAMPP Control Panel.
Start Apache and MySQL.

Step 2: Open localhost/phpmyadmin in your web browser and create database with database name as staff and click on create.

Step 3: Then create table name college.

Step 4: Enter columns and click on save

Syntax for Database Connection

PHP

<?php

$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database_name";

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

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

$sql = "INSERT INTO `table` VALUES 
    ('John', 'Doe', '[email protected]');";

if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
    echo "record inserted successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
}

Step 5: Now open Notepad and start writing PHP code and save it as index.php and open other notepad and save it as insert.php Save both files in one folder under htdocs.

Save Filename as: index.php

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
   <head>
      <title>GFG- Store Data</title>
   </head>
   <body>
      <center>
         <h1>Storing Form data in Database</h1>
         <form action="insert.php" method="post">
            
<p>
               <label for="firstName">First Name:</label>
               <input type="text" name="first_name" id="firstName">
            </p>

            
<p>
               <label for="lastName">Last Name:</label>
               <input type="text" name="last_name" id="lastName">
            </p>

            
<p>
               <label for="Gender">Gender:</label>
               <input type="text" name="gender" id="Gender">
            </p>

            
<p>
               <label for="Address">Address:</label>
               <input type="text" name="address" id="Address">
            </p>

            
<p>
               <label for="emailAddress">Email Address:</label>
               <input type="text" name="email" id="emailAddress">
            </p>

            <input type="submit" value="Submit">
         </form>
      </center>
   </body>
</html>

Save Filename as: insert.php

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <title>Insert Page page</title>
</head>

<body>
    <center>
        <?php

        // servername => localhost
        // username => root
        // password => empty
        // database name => staff
        $conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "root", "", "staff");
        
        // Check connection
        if($conn === false){
            die("ERROR: Could not connect. " 
                . mysqli_connect_error());
        }
        
        // Taking all 5 values from the form data(input)
        $first_name =  $_REQUEST['first_name'];
        $last_name = $_REQUEST['last_name'];
        $gender =  $_REQUEST['gender'];
        $address = $_REQUEST['address'];
        $email = $_REQUEST['email'];
        
        // Performing insert query execution
        // here our table name is college
        $sql = "INSERT INTO college  VALUES ('$first_name', 
            '$last_name','$gender','$address','$email')";
        
        if(mysqli_query($conn, $sql)){
            echo "<h3>data stored in a database successfully." 
                . " Please browse your localhost php my admin" 
                . " to view the updated data</h3>"; 

            echo nl2br("\n$first_name\n $last_name\n "
                . "$gender\n $address\n $email");
        } else{
            echo "ERROR: Hush! Sorry $sql. " 
                . mysqli_error($conn);
        }
        
        // Close connection
        mysqli_close($conn);
        ?>
    </center>
</body>

</html>

Note: Type localhost/7058/index.php in your browser, it will display the form. After submitting the form, the form data is submitted into database.

Enter Data into the form like First Name , Last Name , Gender, Email Address, Address .

Data stored in Database Successfully

Validate Your Form Submission in phpMyAdmin

Storing User Input into a MySQL database using PHP is a foundational step in developing dynamic and data-driven web applications.

Important Points You Need To Keep In Mind:

Form validation- Add client side(JavaScript) and Server-side(PHP) validation to ensure data integrity.
Use Prepared Statements: Prevent SQL Injection attacks by Prepared Statements with PDO or mySQLi.
Display stored Data: Create a page to fetch and display records in a structured table.
CRUD Functionality: Implement full CRUD operations- Create, Read , Update and Delete to manage Data Effectively.
Email Notifications: Send confirmation emails to users after form submission using PHP mail() or SMTP.
User Interface Improvements: Style the form using CSS or frameworks like Bootstrap for a better user experience.
Authentication System: Add a login and registration system to protect access to data and backend operations.