MySQL / MariaDB

Use MySQL / MariaDB when you want Budibase to connect to an existing relational database.

Budibase supports:

MySQL 8.0 and later
MariaDB 10.6 and later

Connect the datasource

Open the Data tables link
Add a new source
Choose MySQL / MariaDB
Enter the connection details
Fetch the tables you want to use

Connection details

You will usually need:

Host
Port
Database name
Username
Password
SSL settings, if your database requires SSL

For hosted databases, copy these values from your database provider. For self-hosted databases, make sure the database server accepts remote connections from Budibase.

If Budibase Cloud is connecting to your database, allow the Budibase IP addresses through your database firewall. See Whitelisting.

If Budibase is running in Docker and the database is on the same machine, localhost points to the Budibase container, not your host machine. Use host.docker.internal, or 172.17.0.1 on Linux.

Fetch tables

Fetch only the tables you need. You can fetch more tables later if the schema changes.

Define relationships

Add relationships after you fetch the tables.

Use one-to-many relationships for foreign keys and many-to-many relationships when your schema includes a join table.

If Budibase rejects a join table, update the source table so the foreign key columns are nullable, then fetch the table again.

Custom queries

Use a custom query when you need joins, grouped results, or write actions from a form or button.

See Working with SQL datasources for the shared workflow after the connection is in place.

Troubleshooting

If Budibase cannot connect:

Confirm the database is reachable from the Budibase server or Budibase Cloud
Check that the host and port are correct
Confirm the user has permission to connect to the database and read the tables you want to fetch
Check whether SSL is required by your provider
Check firewall and allowlist rules