MySQL Configuration

Connect to MySQL databases for transactional data, structured queries, and OLTP systems.

Connection Parameters

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Host	Database hostname	mysql.example.com
Port	MySQL port (default: 3306)	3306
Database	Database name	myapp
Username	Database user	app_user
Password	User password (encrypted at rest)

Optional Fields

Field	Description
Use SSL	Enable for secure connections (recommended for production)

Connection String Format

mysql://user:***@host:3306/database

Configuration Example

When creating a MySQL data source, provide the following information:

Field	Example Value	Notes
Data source label	prod-mysql	Kebab-case unique identifier (used as both name and label)
Host	mysql.example.com	Database hostname
Port	3306	Default MySQL port
Database	myapp	Database name
Username	app_user	Database user
Password	password	Encrypted at rest
Use SSL	Enabled	Recommended for production

Test Connection

When you create or test a MySQL data source, the platform connects using the mysql2/promise driver and executes SELECT 1 to verify connectivity. The connection uses a 10-second timeout. If SSL is enabled, an empty SSL options object is passed (accepting all certificates).

MySQL-compatible databases (SingleStore, TimescaleDB, CrateDB) use the same test connection logic via the MySQL wire protocol.

Schema Discovery

MySQL has full native schema discovery support. Clicking Refresh Metadata returns:

• Tables: All tables in the selected database (via SHOW TABLES)
• Databases: All non-system databases (excluding information_schema, performance_schema, mysql, sys)
• Size: Total data + index size from information_schema.tables
• Row count: Approximate row count from information_schema.tables

Column-Level Metadata

You can fetch column details for individual tables, which returns:

• Column name, data type, and column type
• Nullability
• Column key (PRIMARY, etc.)
• Default values and extra information (e.g., auto_increment)
• Table row count and size

Usage in Workflows and Apps (STRONGLY_SERVICES)

When a MySQL data source is attached to a workflow or app, its decrypted connection details are injected via STRONGLY_SERVICES under services.datasources.mysql (one entry per configured connection):

{
  "services": {
    "datasources": {
      "mysql": [
        {
          "id": "abc123",
          "name": "prod-mysql",
          "type": "mysql",
          "category": "data-source",
          "status": "connected",
          "connection": {
            "host": "mysql.example.com",
            "port": 3306,
            "database": "myapp",
            "ssl": { "enabled": true }
          },
          "auth": {
            "method": "username_password",
            "credentials": {
              "username": "app_user",
              "password": "<password>"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Python Example

import os, json
import mysql.connector

# Parse STRONGLY_SERVICES environment variable
services = json.loads(os.environ['STRONGLY_SERVICES'])

# Pick your MySQL data source by name (its label)
my = next(
    d for d in services['services']['datasources']['mysql']
    if d['name'] == 'prod-mysql'
)

# Connect using the connection and auth sections
conn = mysql.connector.connect(
    host=my['connection']['host'],
    port=my['connection']['port'],
    database=my['connection']['database'],
    user=my['auth']['credentials']['username'],
    password=my['auth']['credentials']['password']
)

# Execute queries
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1")
users = cursor.fetchall()

Node.js Example

const mysql = require('mysql2/promise');

// Parse STRONGLY_SERVICES environment variable
const services = JSON.parse(process.env.STRONGLY_SERVICES);
const my = services.services.datasources.mysql
  .find(d => d.name === 'prod-mysql');

// Create connection using the connection and auth sections
const connection = await mysql.createConnection({
  host: my.connection.host,
  port: my.connection.port,
  database: my.connection.database,
  user: my.auth.credentials.username,
  password: my.auth.credentials.password,
  ssl: my.connection.ssl && my.connection.ssl.enabled ? {} : false
});

// Execute query
const [rows] = await connection.execute('SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1');
console.log(rows);

PHP Example

<?php
// Parse STRONGLY_SERVICES environment variable
$services = json_decode(getenv('STRONGLY_SERVICES'), true);

// Pick your MySQL data source by name (its label)
$my = null;
foreach ($services['services']['datasources']['mysql'] as $ds) {
    if ($ds['name'] === 'prod-mysql') { $my = $ds; break; }
}

// Connect using the connection and auth sections
$mysqli = new mysqli(
    $my['connection']['host'],
    $my['auth']['credentials']['username'],
    $my['auth']['credentials']['password'],
    $my['connection']['database'],
    $my['connection']['port']
);

// Check connection
if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    die('Connection failed: ' . $mysqli->connect_error);
}

// Execute query
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1");
$users = $result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);

SSL/TLS Configuration

Enabling SSL

To enable SSL for encrypted connections:

1. Check the Use SSL checkbox when configuring the data source
2. Ensure your MySQL server is configured with SSL certificates
3. Verify the MySQL server requires SSL: SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'have_ssl';

SSL Certificate Verification

For production environments, you may want to verify SSL certificates:

# Python with certificate verification
import ssl

ssl_context = ssl.create_default_context()
ssl_context.check_hostname = True
ssl_context.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_REQUIRED

conn = mysql.connector.connect(
    host=my['host'],
    port=my['port'],
    database=my['database'],
    user=my['username'],
    password=my['password'],
    ssl_disabled=False,
    ssl_ca='/path/to/ca-cert.pem'
)

Common Issues

Connection Refused

• Verify the host and port are correct
• Check firewall rules allow connections
• Ensure MySQL is listening on the correct interface (check bind-address in my.cnf)

Access Denied

• Verify username and password are correct
• Check user permissions: SHOW GRANTS FOR 'username'@'host';
• Ensure the user is allowed to connect from the platform's IP address
• Grant necessary privileges: GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON database.* TO 'username'@'host';

Database Not Found

• Verify the database name is correct (case-sensitive on some systems)
• Check if the database exists: SHOW DATABASES;
• Create the database if needed: CREATE DATABASE myapp;

Too Many Connections

• Check current connections: SHOW PROCESSLIST;
• Increase max_connections in my.cnf if needed
• Use connection pooling in your application

Best Practices

1. Use SSL in Production: Always enable SSL for production databases
2. Least Privilege: Create dedicated users with minimal required permissions
3. Connection Pooling: Use connection pooling for better performance
4. Character Encoding: Set proper character encoding (UTF-8/utf8mb4)
5. Monitor Connections: Track connection usage and monitor for connection leaks
6. Regular Testing: Periodically test connections to ensure they remain valid

Character Set Configuration

For proper Unicode support, ensure your database and tables use utf8mb4:

-- Create database with utf8mb4
CREATE DATABASE myapp
  CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
  COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

-- Convert existing database
ALTER DATABASE myapp
  CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
  COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

-- Create table with utf8mb4
CREATE TABLE users (
  id INT PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(255)
) CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Related Resources

• Data Sources Overview
• How to Connect Data Sources
• MySQL Official Documentation