Database Connection Strings & Methods: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB | Nife

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#

Go to Databases page
Click database name
Click Connection Details
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.

Recommended Pool Sizes#

Application Type	Pool Size	Max Connections
Small app	2-5	10
Medium app	5-10	20
Large app	10-20	50
Enterprise	20+	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:

Verify hostname is correct
Verify port is correct (5432 for PostgreSQL, 3306 for MySQL)
Check credentials
Verify database exists
Check firewall/network rules
Ensure application IP is whitelisted

Problem: Authentication Failed#

Symptoms:

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

Solutions:

Verify password is correct
Check username is correct (usually 'root')
Verify database name
Reset password if forgotten
Copy password directly from dashboard

Problem: Timeout#

Symptoms:

Error: Connection timeout
Error: Timeout connecting to database

Solutions:

Check network connectivity
Increase timeout value in connection
Verify database is running
Check firewall rules
Contact support if database is down

Problem: Too Many Connections#

Symptoms:

Error: Too many connections
Error: Connection limit exceeded

Solutions:

Enable connection pooling
Close unused connections
Reduce pool size if needed
Scale up database plan
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#

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

Support#

Connection issues?

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