Hosting MSAccess backend files

[another_edgar]

Hello everyone. This is my first post in this forum. I ran a few searches and couldn't find anything related to the hosting of MS Access backend files. That is to be expected, considering it's usually perceived as a dead technology, but it works and helps create local applications very quickly. To anyone who has never used MS Access, what you basically do is create tables and interfaces. At some point, if you want to share the database across a local network, you just "split" the MS Access file using its built-in feature which makes a file for the tables and another file for the interface. You place the tables file in one of the computers and later make your interface file point to the tables file stored previously. You then distribute the interface file to any computer connected to the local network and then all of them will be in sync with the tables file. This is done with a few clicks, it's very effective, but it works in a Microsoft Windows environment.

It's been a while, but a few years ago I managed to fully link an Access backend file to a phpMyAdmin database hosted in a shared hosting I had bought, but for some reason the hosting provider blacklisted my IP saying I was sending too many requests from many different IPs, I never knew why that happened, maybe I had malware installed in my computer, but it was very weird. For this connection to work, I remember I activated some php setting from the CPanel provided by my hosting provider. It was a very slow connection though.

Nowadays, I have a few VPS servers doing well serving my web apps, they are not related in any way to MS Access, they're fully made with javascript frameworks from scratch (the web apps). My VPS servers are using CentOS 7, does anyone have some tips for me to try to host an Access backend file from them? Considering they (the access files) work in a Windows environment, would you think they will also work within Linux in some way?

 

[KGIII]

CentOS 7

I don't have an answer for you, but you might want to move to Alma or Rocky ASAP because CentOS is moving to a rolling/short-term release cycle. The legendary support length is no more as of CentOS 8.

 

[dos2unix]

MS Access does support REST APIs.

Import REST API in MS Access (Load JSON / SOAP XML) | ZappySys Blog

Learn how to Import REST API in MS Access. We will load JSON / SOAP XML in few clicks. Read REST API using Pagination Techniques / OAuth Connection.

zappysys.com

You can also use ODBC.

ODBC connection to MS-Access on Ubuntu

One of our employees created a Microsoft Access Database and has built a Joomla! module around it. It is currently running on a WAMP server, with an ODBC connection to the accdb file. How can I ...

stackoverflow.com

Those instruction are for Ubuntu, but AlmaLinux/Fedora is similar.

 

[another_edgar]

@KGIII
I've also been told in the introduction thread that I should move from CentOS 7 to another Linux, I think it will be an opportunity for me to clean up the mess I've made. Care to elaborate just a little on why Alma or Rocky? Are they the most similar to CentOS?

MS Access does support REST APIs.

Import REST API in MS Access (Load JSON / SOAP XML) | ZappySys Blog

Learn how to Import REST API in MS Access. We will load JSON / SOAP XML in few clicks. Read REST API using Pagination Techniques / OAuth Connection.

zappysys.com

You can also use ODBC.

ODBC connection to MS-Access on Ubuntu

One of our employees created a Microsoft Access Database and has built a Joomla! module around it. It is currently running on a WAMP server, with an ODBC connection to the accdb file. How can I ...

stackoverflow.com

Those instruction are for Ubuntu, but AlmaLinux/Fedora is similar.

Cool, thanks! My understanding of REST was limited it seems. The ODBC alternative is the better choice though, maybe. Considering it's possibly the easiest. I'll give it a good read. Thank you very much. Do you have some keywords to share with me to keep researching this topic?

 

[KGIII]

I've also been told in the introduction thread that I should move from CentOS 7 to another Linux, I think it will be an opportunity for me to clean up the mess I've made. Care to elaborate just a little on why Alma or Rocky? Are they the most similar to CentOS?

Ah, I saw that after responding to your post.

Both Alma and Rocky are binary compatible/equivalents to RedHat - pretty much what CentOS used to be. You can pick either, but I'd probably go with Rocky because they seem to be faster at getting updates out. As far as I can tell, they'll also be offering the same level of support offered by CentOS - which was a legendary 10 years of stabile support.

That's amazing and all volunteer driven. I suspect Rocky will eventually also offer corporate-level support as a way to help fund the distro, but that's just me speculating. I have not paid attention to the news as much as I should have.

It's easy to switch to either. You just change a couple of files, run an update, and you're suddenly using Rocky Linux. You can find the directions via your favorite search engine, but I know some of our members have done so themselves - some pretty soon after the announcement was made.

And yes, yes it's a good opportunity to resolve messes. Though, really, a clean install is one of my favorite ways to clean things up. I have a couple of devices that are getting long in the tooth and should either be given a fresh install or just replaced with new devices that will get a clean install. The desktop computer I'm using right now is maybe four years old, maybe five? That's longer than I historically keep stuff but I'm still satisfied with the performance.