What is the information_schema database?

In MySQL version 5.02 and above there is an additional database called information_schema. This database is available inside Site Tools > MySQL > phpMyAdmin tool and provides access to the database metadata for the corresponding user.

information_schema is the database where the information about all the other databases is kept, for example, names of a database or a table, the data type of columns, access privileges, etc. It is a built-in virtual database with the sole purpose of providing information about the database system itself. The MySQL server automatically populates the tables in the information_schema.

The important thing to remember about the information_schema database is that you can query it, but you cannot change its structure or modify its data.