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Connect MySQL

Detailed guide for connecting MySQL to Data Explorer, including SSL configuration, Docker setup, and common troubleshooting.

🐬Engine

MySQL

Default Port

3306

Protocol

mysql://

Strategy

Pooled Adapter

How to Connect

To connect to MySQL, you have two options: use a Connection URI or fill in the structured connection form.

Method 1: Connection URI

The fastest way is to paste the connection URI directly. Data Explorer will automatically parse the host, port, username, password, and database name from the URI.
URI Format

# General format

mysql://root:password@localhost:3306/mydb

Method 2: Connection Form

Open the Connection Explorer sidebar (left panel), click the plus (+) icon, select MySQL. Fill in the following fields:
HostlocalhostIP address or hostname of the database server
Port3306Default port: 3306
UsernamerootLogin user with database access
Password••••••Password (AES-256 encrypted before storage)
DatabasemydbDatabase name you want to explore
Connection Guardrails
Each connection can be enhanced with a set of protection policies (Guardrails) to mitigate risks of accidental data modification.
Read Only
Allows only SELECT. Blocks all data modifications.
Block Schema
Prevents ALTER, DROP, or RENAME table commands.
Safe Guard
Enables backend-grade deep SQL Guard filtering.
Restricted IO
Disallows raw data Import/Export operations.
SSH Tunneling (Secure)
If your database is behind a firewall, you can use an SSH Tunnel. Data Explorer now integrates SSRF Guard to block dangerous internal IP connections through the tunnel.
  • Supports authentication via password or Private Key (OpenSSH format).
  • Automatic destination IP validation (SSRF Protection).
  • Periodic tunnel health checks to maintain connectivity.

Supported Features

Here is the complete list of introspection features Data Explorer supports for MySQL:
  • Full INFORMATION_SCHEMA introspection
  • Foreign key detection across InnoDB tables
  • Index analysis and cardinality stats
  • JSON column type support
  • Stored procedure and function listing
  • Trigger introspection
  • Charset/collation information

Internal Introspection Query

When you successfully connect, Data Explorer automatically runs introspection queries to analyze the database structure. Here's the basic query the system runs behind the scenes for MySQL:
MySQL Introspection

# Table structure analysis query

SELECT TABLE_NAME, COLUMN_NAME, DATA_TYPE, IS_NULLABLE

FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS

WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = DATABASE()

ORDER BY TABLE_NAME, ORDINAL_POSITION;

Docker Quick Start

If you don't have MySQL on your machine yet, the fastest way is to use Docker to create a test instance:
Terminal

# Start MySQL container

docker run -d \

--name data-explorer-mysql \

-e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secret123 \

-e MYSQL_DATABASE=dev_database \

-p 3306:3306 \

mysql:8.0

Advanced Tuning

Connection Pooling

By default, the system maintains a connection pool to optimize response speed. For databases with limited sessions (like Supabase Free Tier), consider reducing the timeout to free up connections faster.

SSL/TLS Handshake

The system supports SSL Modes "prefer" and "require". For connections requiring custom CA certificates, you need to mount the certificate file into the /certs directory of the backend server.

Security Note

For PlanetScale or similar providers, SSL is mandatory. Use the provided connection string directly from the dashboard.

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