Connect to Databases

DbSchema supports 70+ SQL and NoSQL databases via JDBC (Java Database Connectivity). When you create a connection, DbSchema automatically downloads the required JDBC driver. If downloads are blocked in your environment, click Upload JDBC driver to add the driver .jar file manually.

Looking for your database engine? See the full list →

Choose Your Database

When starting a new project and selecting Connect to Database, DbSchema first asks you to choose your database type.

Select your database from the list. DbSchema will open the Connection Dialog pre-configured for that database type.

Connection Dialog

Three fields sit above the tabs, and they apply to every connection:

1. Connection Name — a clear name such as Prod-Postgres, used to refer to the connection everywhere in the application.
2. JDBC Driver — downloaded automatically from the DbSchema repository. If downloads are blocked, click the wrench button and supply the .jar file yourself. See the JDBC Driver Manager.
3. Connection Mode — how the JDBC URL is built. Standard composes it from the host, port and database you enter. Edit the JDBC URL Manually takes a full connection string, which is what cloud consoles hand you. Some databases offer further presets.

Below them are three tabs: Connection, Advanced and Settings.

Connection Tab

• Server Location — choose This computer, default port for a local instance, or Remote computer or custom port to enter the Server Host and Port yourself.
• Database User and Password — the credentials defined in the database. Tick Remember to store the password.
• Test Connection — checks that the server answers, before you connect.
• Database — the database to open. Create New creates one on the server.

Click Connect to open the connection. DbSchema saves it for later reuse.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab holds the SSH tunnel, the driver parameters and the time zone.

• SSH Tunnel / Configuration — the tunnel this connection uses. See SSH Tunnel below.
• SSL & Parameters — typed JDBC URL parameters, appended to the connection URL. See SSL and URL Parameters below.
• Properties — driver settings entered as key1=value1;key2=value2. They reach the driver as separate connection properties instead of going into the URL. Oracle with Kerberos authentication is the usual example.
• Custom Time Zone — a fixed time zone for this connection. Set it when your computer and the database server disagree, which otherwise shows up as shifted timestamps.

Settings Tab

• Read Only Connection — blocks every schema and data modification made through DbSchema. Use it on production.
• Schema Mapping — shows a schema from the model under a different name in this database, so one model fits databases that name their schemas differently.
• Highlight — colors the connection in the application as Normal, Production, Development or Test, so a production connection is recognizable at a glance.
• Java Location — where the bundled Java lives, for the authentication methods that need its files.

SSL and URL Parameters

Each driver has its own URL parameters. DbSchema knows them, so you pick them from a list instead of writing the URL by hand.

Click the pencil next to SSL & Parameters on the Advanced tab.

Parameters are grouped by subject — SSL/TLS, timeouts, session behavior, performance. Each one explains what it does and links to the driver's own documentation. A parameter you leave switched off stays out of the URL entirely, so the driver keeps its default.

For PostgreSQL, the SSL Mode decides how strictly the server is checked:

• Prefer — the driver default: try SSL, fall back to a plain connection, check no certificate.
• Require — always encrypt, but trust the server without checking its certificate. This is the usual choice for cloud databases.
• Verify CA — encrypt and verify the server certificate against a trusted CA certificate.

To confirm what DbSchema will send, click the eye button next to SSL & Parameters.

SSH Tunnel

An SSH tunnel reaches a database that only a jump host can talk to. DbSchema connects to the SSH server, and the SSH server connects to the database.

A tunnel is a named configuration, stored once and reused. Several connections through the same bastion share one entry, so a changed key or password is edited in one place.

On the Advanced tab, pick a configuration from the Configuration list, or click the pencil to manage them.

Give the configuration a Name, the Host and Port of the SSH server, and one way to authenticate:

• Password authentication — the user and password on the SSH server.
• Public key authentication — the user, the private key file in OpenSSH, PEM or PuTTY .ppk format, and its passphrase.
• SSH agent authentication — the user alone. The keys stay in the running agent, which is ssh-agent on Linux and macOS and Pageant on Windows. DbSchema never sees the private key.
• No authentication — for a server that asks for none.

Test Tunnel checks the SSH server before you connect.

Set the database host and port on the Connection tab to the address as seen from the SSH host — often localhost, when the database runs on the SSH server itself. The local port DbSchema forwards is set in Edit → Settings → Network → SSH.

Connection Manager

The Connection Manager shows all saved connections. Open it from Connections → Connection Manager.

From here you can create new connections, edit existing ones, duplicate them, or delete them. Double-click a connection to open it.

Testing Connectivity

If the connection fails, check that the server is reachable from your machine:

• ping — basic network reachability: ping dbserver.mycompany.com
• telnet — whether the database port is open: telnet dbserver.mycompany.com 5432
• openssl — SSL-enabled ports: openssl s_client -connect dbserver.mycompany.com:5432

For a proxy or certificate problem, check network <url> in DbSchemaCLI reports the proxy and the certificate chain in use and explains the failure.

If the port is unreachable, check the firewall rules on the database server. See the Firewall, Proxy & SSH guide.