{"id":606,"date":"2023-11-13T18:30:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T18:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hostinger.io\/support\/2023\/11\/13\/8583784-how-to-connect-to-the-microsoft-sql-server-odbc-at-hostinger\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:12:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:12:01","slug":"8583784-how-to-connect-to-the-microsoft-sql-server-odbc-at-hostinger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/8583784-how-to-connect-to-the-microsoft-sql-server-odbc-at-hostinger\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Connect to the Microsoft SQL Server (ODBC) at Hostinger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Step 1 — Check for the \/etc\/odbcinst.ini File<\/h2>

Check the \/etc\/odbcinst.ini<\/b> file and make sure it includes information similar to the one below. You can check this using SSH<\/a><\/b>. Use the command cat \/etc\/odbcinst.ini<\/code> for that:<\/p>

\n<\/p>

[FreeTDS] 
Description = ODBC for FreeTDS 
Driver = \/usr\/lib64\/libtdsodbc.so 
Setup = \/usr\/lib64\/libtdsS.so.2 
Driver64 = \/usr\/lib64\/libtdsodbc.so 
Setup64 = \/usr\/lib64\/libtdsS.so.2 
FileUsage = 1<\/code><\/pre>
You don’t need to make any changes to this file. Only check if it exists and has data on it. If you cannot find this file, or it’s empty, contact us<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>
\n<\/p>
Step 2 — Create a .odbc.ini File<\/h2>
Go to your website’s file manager<\/a><\/b>, and select the option to access all the files of your hosting plan<\/b>:<\/p>
\n<\/p>
\"Accessing<\/div>
This way, you’ll land in the root directory of your hosting plan. Here, create a .odbc.ini<\/code> file:<\/p>
\n<\/p>
\"Creating<\/div>
Add the following text inside the file:<\/p>
[mssql_odbc] 
Description = MSSQL Server 
Driver = FreeTDS 
Database = username_databasename 
Server = mssql.database.servername.tld 
Port = 1433<\/code><\/pre>
Replace the following as given below:<\/p>
    \n
  1. \n
    username_database<\/code> — insert the name of the SQL server database<\/b> to be used<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    mssql.database.servername.tld<\/code>  — insert the hostname or IP address of the server<\/b> to connect to<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    1433<\/code> — insert the port that you’ll use for the MSSQL connection; change this number only if your default port isn’t 1433<\/code><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>
    Save the changes:<\/p>
    \n<\/p>
    \"Creating<\/div>
    \n<\/p>
    Step 3 — Check for the Necessary PHP Extensions<\/h2>
    Make sure the following extensions are enabled in your website’s PHP configuration settings<\/a><\/b>:<\/p>