How to create a database connection in DBeaver

DBeaver allows you to work with all popular databases. The first thing you have to do is to create a connection. Our app provides a wizard that guides you through the steps to do it.

To open a wizard, click on the plug icon in the upper left corner of the application window or go to Database -> New Database Сonnection. The database selection window will open and you will see a list from which you can choose the driver you need.

You have a large selection of databases to connect to. Pay attention to the tabs on the left side of the window. Click on them to choose All, Popular, SQL, NoSQL, Analytical databases, etc. The Popular tab includes the database drivers you use most regularly.

DBeaver database connection

You can use these tabs for easy navigation or just type the first few characters of the database driver’s name into the search box. If you cannot find a driver for your database in the list, you can add it manually using a JDBC-driver that is compatible with your database.

Set up a connection

Let’s take PostgreSQL as an example. Click on it. The connection settings window will open. Let’s take a look at the points that are the most important.

On the main tab, you need to set all primary connection settings. For most drivers, the required settings include Host, Port, Database name, Username, and Password. But it should be noted that the number of properties depends directly on the driver.

DBeaver connection settings

Each driver has its own set of additional properties, which you can see by opening the corresponding tab. You can also edit properties there. In the lower right part of the window, you can see a link to the driver documentation. Click on it to get information about available properties and their values. Please note that this option is not available for all drivers.

Driver properties DBeaver

If your database cannot be accessed directly, you can use an SSH tunnel. All settings are available on the corresponding tab. Our app supports the following authentication methods: user/password, public key authentication, and agent authentication. For more information about SSH configuration visit the Wiki page.

Some databases require an additional configuration to connect like SSL or Proxy. All of these can be set in DBeaver using the appropriate tabs. Just open the tab and enter all required properties.

To check that all settings are entered correctly, click Test Connection. This step can be especially relevant when creating connections with a lot of preferences. Thanks to it, you will not need to worry about possible mistakes.

You will see a dialog with all information about the driver. After completing all the settings, click the Finish button. The connection appears in the tree of connections in the Database Navigator and DBeaver actually connects to the database.

If the driver is not pre-configured

With DBeaver, you can not only use a pre-configured database driver but also create a new one based on the JDBC driver. To do that, go to Database -> Driver Manager. Click the New button and create a driver. On the driver edit dialog, you need to enter all required information and click the OK button. You can find more information about creating drivers in our Wiki.

Create a driver DBeaver

If you cannot find your particular database in the list but you know it is based on other well-known database or compatible with some existing driver (for example, old Postgres driver), feel free to use this driver to create a connection.

Connecting to some databases like Oracle, MS SQL Server or Redshift can require additional effort. We will definitely talk about these in our next tutorials.

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