Connections
A connection stores credentials and configuration for one database. DataRunner encrypts all credentials at rest, tests connectivity on creation, and shows live schema directly in the app.
- Read
- 7 min
- Sections
- 6
- Databases
- 15 supported
Adding a connection
Go to Connections in the sidebar and click New connection. Select your database type from the list, then fill in the connection fields:
- Name — a label for this connection within your workspace
- Host — the database server hostname or IP address
- Port — default ports are pre-filled per database type
- Database — the database or catalog name to connect to
- Username / Password — the credentials DataRunner uses to connect
Click Test connection to verify connectivity before saving. If the test succeeds, DataRunner saves the connection and immediately loads the live schema.
Supported databases
DataRunner currently supports 15 database types:
| Database | Driver | Default port |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | libpq | 5432 |
| MySQL | MySQL Connector | 3306 |
| SQL Server | Microsoft ODBC | 1433 |
| BigQuery | Google BigQuery | — |
| Snowflake | Snowflake JDBC | 443 |
| Amazon Redshift | Redshift JDBC | 5439 |
| ClickHouse | ClickHouse native | 8123 |
| DuckDB | DuckDB embedded | — |
| Oracle | Oracle ODP.NET | 1521 |
| MariaDB | MariaDB Connector | 3306 |
| CockroachDB | PostgreSQL protocol | 26257 |
| Databricks | Databricks JDBC | 443 |
| Presto | Presto JDBC | 8080 |
| Trino | Trino JDBC | 8080 |
| SQLite | SQLite3 file | — |
SSL & SSH tunnel
SSL
For databases that require SSL, enable the Use SSL toggle on the connection form. You can optionally upload:
- CA certificate — to verify the server's identity
- Client certificate + private key — for mutual TLS (mTLS) authentication
If you enable SSL without uploading a CA cert, DataRunner still enforces an encrypted connection but does not verify the server certificate (sslmode=require). To verify the server, upload the CA certificate (sslmode=verify-ca or verify-full).
SSH tunnel
If your database is in a private network and only accessible through a bastion host, enable SSH tunnel on the connection form and provide:
- SSH host — the bastion server hostname or IP
- SSH port — usually 22
- SSH user — the username for the bastion
- SSH private key — PEM-encoded private key (RSA or Ed25519)
DataRunner opens an SSH tunnel to the bastion, then connects to the database through it. The bastion needs network access to the database host. Your local machine does not.
Schema browser
After a connection is saved, click it from the Connections list to open the detail view. The Schema tab shows all schemas, tables, columns, data types, and estimated row counts pulled from your database in real time.
You can also access the schema browser from inside the SQL Workbench — click the schema icon in the left panel to expand the tree for your selected connection.
Connection health monitoring
DataRunner periodically pings each active connection and tracks latency. The Connections list shows a status badge per connection:
- Healthy — last ping succeeded within the expected latency range
- Slow — last ping succeeded but latency is elevated
- Unreachable — last ping failed; check host/port/credentials
You can trigger a manual connectivity test at any time from the connection detail page. On failure, the full error message from the database driver is displayed.
Deleting a connection
Before deleting a connection, check whether any active reports or watches are using it. DataRunner will warn you if you try to delete a connection that is referenced by a report or watch — you must either reassign or delete those first.