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Connecting to Databases

Connect your applications to managed databases using connection details and authentication.

Getting Connection Details​

After Database Creation​

You'll receive connection details:

  • Hostname: db-prod-001.database.nifetency.com
  • Port: 5432 (PostgreSQL), 3306 (MySQL), etc.
  • Username: root
  • Password: Your set password
  • Database Name: postgres (default)

Finding Existing Credentials​

  1. Go to Databases page
  2. Click database name
  3. Click Connection Details
  4. Copy hostname, port, username

Password: Store separately for security.

Connection Methods​

Method 1: Connection String​

Use connection string format for your database type:

PostgreSQL:

postgresql://root:PASSWORD@hostname:5432/database

MySQL:

mysql://root:PASSWORD@hostname:3306/database

MongoDB:

mongodb://root:PASSWORD@hostname:27017/database

Redis:

redis://root:PASSWORD@hostname:6379

Method 2: Individual Parameters​

Provide individual connection parameters:

Hostname: db-prod.database.nifetency.com
Port: 5432
Username: root
Password: YourPassword
Database: postgres

Method 3: Environment Variables​

Set connection details as environment variables:

Example:

export DB_HOST="db-prod.database.nifetency.com"
export DB_PORT="5432"
export DB_USER="root"
export DB_PASSWORD="YourPassword"
export DB_NAME="postgres"

Application Examples​

Node.js (PostgreSQL)​

const { Pool } = require('pg');

const pool = new Pool({
  host: process.env.DB_HOST,
  port: process.env.DB_PORT,
  user: process.env.DB_USER,
  password: process.env.DB_PASSWORD,
  database: process.env.DB_NAME,
});

// Query
pool.query('SELECT * FROM users', (err, res) => {
  console.log(res.rows);
});

Python (PostgreSQL)​

import psycopg2

conn = psycopg2.connect(
    host="db-prod.database.nifetency.com",
    port="5432",
    user="root",
    password="YourPassword",
    database="postgres"
)

cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users")
print(cursor.fetchall())
cursor.close()
conn.close()

Python (MongoDB)​

from pymongo import MongoClient

client = MongoClient(
    'mongodb://root:[email protected]:27017/'
)

db = client['myapp']
users = db['users']

# Find documents
result = users.find_one({'name': 'John'})
print(result)

Node.js (MongoDB)​

const MongoClient = require('mongodb').MongoClient;

const url = 'mongodb://root:[email protected]:27017/';

MongoClient.connect(url, (err, client) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  
  const db = client.db('myapp');
  db.collection('users').findOne({}, (err, result) => {
    console.log(result);
  });
});

Docker Compose​

version: '3'
services:
  app:
    image: myapp:latest
    environment:
      DB_HOST: db-prod.database.nifetency.com
      DB_PORT: 5432
      DB_USER: root
      DB_PASSWORD: YourPassword
      DB_NAME: postgres

Kubernetes​

apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: db-config
data:
  DB_HOST: "db-prod.database.nifetency.com"
  DB_PORT: "5432"
  DB_USER: "root"
  DB_NAME: "postgres"
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: db-secret
type: Opaque
stringData:
  DB_PASSWORD: "YourPassword"

Connection Tools​

GUI Database Clients​

For PostgreSQL/MySQL:

  • DBeaver: Free, feature-rich, cross-platform
  • MySQL Workbench: Official MySQL client
  • pgAdmin: Web-based PostgreSQL admin
  • HeidiSQL: Free MySQL/PostgreSQL client

For MongoDB:

  • MongoDB Compass: Official client
  • NoSQL Booster: Advanced client
  • Robo 3T: Community MongoDB client

For Redis:

  • Redis Desktop Manager: GUI client
  • RedisInsight: Official Redis client

Command Line Tools​

PostgreSQL:

psql -h db-prod.database.nifetency.com -U root -d postgres

MySQL:

mysql -h db-prod.database.nifetency.com -u root -p

MongoDB:

mongosh -h db-prod.database.nifetency.com:27017 -u root -p

Redis:

redis-cli -h db-prod.database.nifetency.com -p 6379

Testing Connection​

Test Before Using​

Always test connection before deploying:

Bash script to test:

#!/bin/bash

echo "Testing database connection..."
PGPASSWORD="$DB_PASSWORD" psql -h "$DB_HOST" -U "$DB_USER" -d "$DB_NAME" -c "SELECT 1"

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "✓ Connection successful"
else
  echo "✗ Connection failed"
  exit 1
fi

Python test:

import psycopg2

try:
    conn = psycopg2.connect(
        host="db-prod.database.nifetency.com",
        user="root",
        password="YourPassword",
        database="postgres"
    )
    cur = conn.cursor()
    cur.execute("SELECT 1")
    print("✓ Connection successful")
    cur.close()
    conn.close()
except Exception as e:
    print(f"✗ Connection failed: {e}")

Connection Pool Configuration​

What is Connection Pooling?​

Connection pooling reuses database connections instead of creating new ones each time. This improves performance and reduces resource usage.

Application TypePool SizeMax Connections
Small app2-510
Medium app5-1020
Large app10-2050
Enterprise20+100+

Configuring Pool (Node.js Example)​

const pool = new Pool({
  host: process.env.DB_HOST,
  user: process.env.DB_USER,
  password: process.env.DB_PASSWORD,
  database: process.env.DB_NAME,
  max: 20,                    // max connections
  idleTimeoutMillis: 30000,   // close idle after 30s
  connectionTimeoutMillis: 2000,
});

SSL/TLS Connections​

Enable Encryption​

All connections support SSL/TLS encryption:

PostgreSQL with SSL:

postgresql://root:PASSWORD@hostname:5432/database?sslmode=require

MySQL with SSL:

const connection = mysql.createConnection({
  host: 'hostname',
  user: 'root',
  password: 'PASSWORD',
  database: 'mydb',
  ssl: 'Amazon RDS'
});

Recommendation: Always use SSL/TLS in production.

Troubleshooting Connection​

Problem: Connection Refused​

Symptoms:

Error: Connection refused
Error: Cannot connect to [hostname]

Solutions:

  1. Verify hostname is correct
  2. Verify port is correct (5432 for PostgreSQL, 3306 for MySQL)
  3. Check credentials
  4. Verify database exists
  5. Check firewall/network rules
  6. Ensure application IP is whitelisted

Problem: Authentication Failed​

Symptoms:

Error: Password authentication failed
Error: Access denied for user 'root'

Solutions:

  1. Verify password is correct
  2. Check username is correct (usually 'root')
  3. Verify database name
  4. Reset password if forgotten
  5. Copy password directly from dashboard

Problem: Timeout​

Symptoms:

Error: Connection timeout
Error: Timeout connecting to database

Solutions:

  1. Check network connectivity
  2. Increase timeout value in connection
  3. Verify database is running
  4. Check firewall rules
  5. Contact support if database is down

Problem: Too Many Connections​

Symptoms:

Error: Too many connections
Error: Connection limit exceeded

Solutions:

  1. Enable connection pooling
  2. Close unused connections
  3. Reduce pool size if needed
  4. Scale up database plan
  5. Monitor active connections

Security Best Practices​

1. Never Hardcode Credentials​

Bad:

const password = "MySecurePassword123";

Good:

const password = process.env.DB_PASSWORD;

2. Use Connection Pooling​

Reuse connections instead of creating new ones.

3. Use SSL/TLS​

Always encrypt connections in production.

4. Restrict Network Access​

  • Use firewall rules
  • Allow only necessary IPs
  • Use VPN if possible

5. Change Default Passwords​

Don't use root account for applications.

6. Monitor Access​

  • Check connection logs
  • Monitor for unusual activity
  • Set up alerts

7. Rotate Credentials​

  • Change passwords periodically
  • After team changes
  • If credentials exposed

Next Steps​

  1. Managing Databases - Scale and monitor
  2. Backup & Recovery - Data protection
  3. Database Best Practices - Optimization tips

Support​

Connection issues?

  • Check sections above
  • Verify credentials
  • Test with command line first
  • Contact support: [email protected]