What could be happening? It's possible that your hosting upgraded mariadb, maybe this will help.
PrestaShop 8 uses Symfony/Doctrine to handle database connections.
o With new MariaDB 11+ or some MySQL servers, Doctrine cannot detect your database version, so you see a "server_version" error.
o When you try to fix that, you get a new error: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2026] TLS/SSL error: invalid directory. This means PrestaShop is trying to use SSL for the database, but your server or config is missing SSL info or files.
How to fix it in PrestaShop 8:
Edit your database config file:
o The file to edit is:
/config/packages/doctrine.yaml
Add or update these settings under doctrine: dbal:
(be careful with spaces/indentation):
YAML files require exact spacing—use spaces, not tabs, and make sure each setting is lined up correctly under its parent. Incorrect indentation will cause errors or the settings to be ignored. For example, options: must be under dbal:, and 1007: false must be under options:.
doctrine:
dbal:
driver: 'pdo_mysql'
server_version: 'mariadb-11.4.7' # Or try 'mariadb-11.0' or just 'mariadb'
options:
1007: false # disables SSL CA requirement (fixes TLS/SSL error)
o The server_version line fixes the version detection error.
o The options: 1007: false line disables the SSL CA requirement that causes the "invalid directory" error.
Clear the PrestaShop cache:
o Using the command line:
php bin/console cache:clear
o Or, manually delete everything inside:
/var/cache/prod/ and /var/cache/dev/
Reload your admin page:
o If you still get a "server_version" error, try changing the version to just mariadb-11.0 or mariadb but also contact your hosting company
o If you still get an SSL error, double-check your spacing and that options: 1007: false is in place. contact your hosting company