Connect to MySQL and MariaDB

For: everyone. Works for MySQL and MariaDB with the same driver.

QueryDeck talks to MySQL through libmysqlclient. Anything the mysql command-line client connects to, QueryDeck connects to. MariaDB works through the same driver thanks to wire-protocol compatibility.

Required fields

Field	Default	Notes
Host	none	DNS name or IP. `localhost` for a local server.
Port	`3306`	Standard MySQL port. PlanetScale uses `3306` too.
User	none	Defaults to `root` on local servers, otherwise a provider-issued username.
Password	none	Stored in macOS Keychain.
Database	none	The schema name. In MySQL, "database" and "schema" mean the same thing.

Paste a connection string

QueryDeck parses URIs in this format:

mysql://user:password@host:3306/database
mysql://user:password@host:3306/database?ssl-mode=REQUIRED

mariadb:// is accepted as an alias for mysql://.

Provider-specific notes

PlanetScale

PlanetScale requires SSL and uses branch-aware connection strings.

In your PlanetScale dashboard, open the database, choose the branch, and click "Connect".
Pick the "General" connection method to get a username, password, host, and database.
Paste into QueryDeck, or build the fields by hand.
Set SSL mode to REQUIRED.

PlanetScale does not support foreign keys at the database level. Table Mode's FK navigation will be empty unless you've added foreign keys at the application level. Drift Mode still works.

MariaDB

Use the same fields as MySQL. The server type is detected automatically once you connect.

AWS RDS for MySQL

Use the RDS endpoint as host, port 3306. SSL mode REQUIRED works for the default RDS certificate. If your security policy requires CA verification, set VERIFY_IDENTITY and add the certificate file in the SSL section.

If your RDS instance is private, see SSH tunnels.

DigitalOcean Managed MySQL

DigitalOcean issues a custom certificate. Set SSL mode to VERIFY_CA and download the CA from the DigitalOcean dashboard.

Self-hosted MySQL or MariaDB

Fill fields by hand. If your my.cnf requires SSL, set the SSL mode accordingly. For local development, DISABLED is fine.

SSL modes

MySQL uses different mode names than PostgreSQL:

Mode	Use when
`DISABLED`	Local development only.
`PREFERRED`	Try SSL, fall back without. Default for many client libraries.
`REQUIRED`	Demand SSL but don't verify the server certificate.
`VERIFY_CA`	Demand SSL and verify the certificate authority.
`VERIFY_IDENTITY`	Demand SSL, verify the CA, and check the hostname matches.

Full reference: SSL/TLS modes.

Schemas

In MySQL, schemas are the databases. The sidebar shows the connected database first. To switch, change the Database field in the connection editor, or run USE other_db; in the query editor.

Known limitations

MySQL's JSON type displays as text in the data grid. Use JSON_EXTRACT(...) or ->> in queries to drill in.
BLOB columns are shown as <binary> placeholders. Use queries to inspect or export.
Stored procedures are listed but not currently editable from the GUI.