WP site using a different database than the one in wp-config.php

[ennicola]

Server operating system version

Linux 7

Plesk version and microupdate number

18.0.72

Hi everyone,
I’ve taken over a WooCommerce site (2000+ customers) and found a very strange issue.

The wp-config.php file points to a specific database — but WordPress is clearly using another one.
On the server I have three databases:

• one linked in wp-config.php
• two empty

The configured DB doesn’t contain the live site data.
A plugin check confirms WordPress is writing to a different DB than the one in wp-config.php, and Advanced DB Cleaner shows tables belonging to this unknown DB.

The previous manager doesn’t know anything about it, and I’ve searched the entire FTP — no references to another database anywhere.
Has anyone experienced this before or knows what could cause it?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Kaspar]

That's odd and make me curious which plugin(s) you've used to determine that the site actually uses another DB than the one configured in the wp-config.php file. Also, what kind of information does the plugin show actually show about the used database?

 

[ennicola]

È strano e mi incuriosisce sapere quali plugin hai utilizzato per determinare che il sito utilizza effettivamente un database diverso da quello configurato nel file wp-config.php. Inoltre, che tipo di informazioni mostra effettivamente il plugin sul database utilizzato?

Inizialmente avevo utilizzato un plugin realizzato con l'intelligenza artificiale, poi ho utilizzato UpdraftPlus, che viene utilizzato per i backup, e quando ho scaricato il file SQL, ho visto che il database era lo stesso che avevo identificato, diverso da quello nel file wp-config e in Plesk.

 

[Kaspar]

Inizialmente avevo utilizzato un plugin realizzato con l'intelligenza artificiale, poi ho utilizzato UpdraftPlus, che viene utilizzato per i backup, e quando ho scaricato il file SQL, ho visto che il database era lo stesso che avevo identificato, diverso da quello nel file wp-config e in Plesk.

Could post in English please. That way it's easier to understand for other forum users, including myself, and to help you.

If you are not fluent in English, consider using an online translator like DeepL.com or Google translate to translate your posts before posting them.

 

[ennicola]

Could post in English please. That way it's easier to understand for other forum users, including myself, and to help you.

If you are not fluent in English, consider using an online translator like DeepL.com or Google translate to translate your posts before posting them.

sorry, this is the message:
At first, I had used a plugin made with AI, then I used UpdraftPlus, which is used for backups, and when I downloaded the SQL file, I saw that the database was the same one I had identified — different from the one in the wp-config file and in Plesk.
Is possibile there is another wp-config?

 

[Kaspar]

Is possibile there is another wp-config?

Everything is possible, but there should only be one configuration file.

If you install the Database Table Overview and Logs plugin and open it, does it show a different database name from the one configured in the wp-config.php file? Or is the same database name?

 

[ennicola]

Everything is possible, but there should only be one configuration file.

If you install the Database Table Overview and Logs plugin and open it, does it show a different database name from the one configured in the wp-config.php file? Or is the same database name?

yes it show a different database name from the one configured in the wp-config.php file

 

[Kaspar]

Okay, in that case it's possible that the database is configured somewhere else, in a different file. If you copy the database name you can use the search feature in the Plesk file manager to search for the name in all files. Hopefully that way you can find in which file the actual database configuration is stored.

Another possibility of course is that perhaps your website is hosted else where on another server entirely. Did you check if the DNS records of the domain actually point to the IP of your Plesk server?

 

[ennicola]

I also downloaded all the files from the FTP and did a search using Sublime Text, but I can’t find anything about the database. I also tried from the SSH terminal. Not DNS records to another IP.