There are several ways to configure a database connection and several ways to perform an authentication.

Configuration types

Basic connections

Host/port based configuration

Parameter	Description	Example
Host	Server host name	192.168.1.25
Post number	Server listener port	1521 (default)
Database	Service or SID name	ORCL
Service/SID	It depends on the server configuration. SID must be selected for some servers and the Service Name for others	SID

TNS

TNS configuration is the simplest, but it requires you to have the

file somewhere on your disk. tnsnames.ora contains information about all accessible Oracle server connections. DBeaver can determine the default location of this file, but sometimes you will need to manually specify it.

Parameter	Description	Example
Network Alias	Name of configuration from tnsnames.ora	ORCL1
TNS names path	Path to tnsnames.ora file. By default, it is got from the TNS_ADMIN environment variable or from Windows’ registry	c:\oracle\network\admin

Custom URL

For a more sophisticated configuration, you can specify the full JDBC URL manually ( see Data Sources and URLs).

Sample URL (Oracle Cloud):

Authentication

Database

Parameter	Description	Example
User name	Database user name	SYS
Password	Database user password
Role	Role for connection. Roles SYSDBA and SYSOPER are needed for some administrative operations	Normal
Save password	Saves the user/password information in the local DBeaver configuration	SID

OS authentication

The Oracle driver gets user information from the current OS user.
You do not need to explicitly specify any credentials.

Oracle Cloud connections

DBeaver supports Oracle Cloud Autonomous databases connectivity.
There are two ways to authenticate:

Plain URL connection

• To use a plain URL connection you must enable the
  Access control list
  for the Oracle autonomous database.
• Then add your IP address to the IP list.

• Use the Custom connection configuration (URL). You can copy the URL from the Oracle Cloud database page (link “DB Connection”).

Oracle Wallet connection

It is the default authentication type for the Oracle Cloud.

• Download Wallet from the Oracle Cloud website
• Expand the wallet archive to a folder
• Set TNS configuration type
• Set the
  TNS path
  to the wallet location directory
• Choose the proper
  Network Alias
  from the drop-down menu
• Set
  Authentication
  to the Oracle Wallet
• Set the database username and password (you can get them from the Oracle Cloud database information page)
• Set the
  Wallet location
  to the wallet location directory

Connection types define how DBeaver behaves regarding:

• Default transactions commit mode – with or without automatic commit of changes to the database.

Note: You can override the default commit behavior during your work with connections by changing the commit mode, see Auto and Manual Commit Modes.

• SQL statements execution (with or without user confirmation): If set to the required user confirmation for SQL execution, DBeaver shows a confirmation message every time you attempt to execute a ‘transaction’ type of query (INSERT/DELETE/UPDATE, etc.):

  

For your convenience, DBeaver supports color-coding of connection types so that you know at once which behavior to expect when you use a certain connection. The screenshot below visualizes how the color coordinated database connections are used in Database Navigator and Projects views as well as editors related to these connections:

To manage connection types for a database connection, in the Database Navigator or Projects view, click the connection to set the focus on it and then press F4 to open the connection properties window. Then, in the properties window, in the navigation pane on the left, click General to see the general settings. You can see Connection Type field among the settings:

There are three default connection types – Development, Test, and Production. You can change the connection type for your database connection as well as you can create a new connection type, edit or delete an existing one.

Change Connection Type

By default, the Development connection is preset for all database connections. You can change the connection type to one of the default connection types or to a custom type, if there are any.

To change the connection type:

1. In the connection properties window, on the General page, click the Connection type field and then click the connection type in the dropdown list:

   

2. To test the connection, click Test Connection. To confirm the change, click OK.

Create Connection Type

To create a connection type:

1. In the connection properties window (F4 on a connection), on the General page, click Edit next to the Connection type field. The Properties for connection types window opens:

   

   The window displays existing connection types and their settings.

2. Click the new connection type button. A new connection type appears in the list:

   

3. Now you can specify the settings for the new connection type:

   Setting	Description
   Confirm SQL execution	Displays a confirmation dialog for any non-SELECT SQL operations.
   Confirm data changes	Displays a confirmation dialog before persisting changes in the database.
   Auto-commit by default	Sets SQL operations to commit automatically, making it the default transactional mode.
   Smart commit mode	Initiates a transaction before any data modifying queries (e.g., INSERT , UPDATE ), allowing configuration of additional keywords for transaction activation.
   Return to auto-commit on transaction end	Switches back to auto-commit mode after the transaction is completed (explicit commit or rollback), only active with Smart commit mode.
   Automatically end long idle transactions (seconds)	Closes transactions after a specified idle period with no user activity, performing a rollback before transaction ends.
   Close idle connection after (seconds)	Closes connections with no activity after a specified number of seconds. A value of zero and unchecking this option allows the connections with the current type to remain active indefinitely.

   Tip: For embedded databases, the setting Close idle connection after (seconds) is always ignored. This means they will never automatically disconnect, regardless of the configured value.

4. Click Apply to apply the changes and keep the window open or click Apply and Close to apply the changes and close the window. To discard all changes and return to the previous state, click Restore Defaults.

Edit Connection Type

To edit a connection type:

1. In the connection properties window (F4 on a connection), on the General page, click Edit next to the Connection type field.
2. Specify the settings for the new connection type the same way as when you create a connection type, see ‘Create Connection Types’ section above.
3. When you finish editing the connection types, click Apply to apply the changes and keep the window open or click Apply and Close to apply the changes and close the window. To discard all changes and return to the previous state, click Restore Defaults.

Delete Connection Type

To delete a connection type:

1. In the connection properties window (F4 on a connection), on the General page, click Edit next to the Connection type field. The Properties for connection types window opens.
2. In the Properties window, in the list of connection types, click the connection type to set the focus on it and then click the delete button under the list:
3. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box to confirm the deletion. Otherwise, click No.
4. Click Apply to apply the changes and keep the window open or click Apply and Close to apply the changes and close the window.

Overview

You can use special commands in the SQL scripts.
These commands are executed on DBeaver’s side, not on the server-side.

Supported commands

DBeaver supports the following commands:

Command	Database	Description
@set var = value	All	Sets a script variable. You can use expressions as a value. Variables can be used as SQL queries input parameters. For more information see Dynamic parameter bindings
@unset var	All	Unsets a script variable.
@echo message	All	Prints message to output log. You can use a macro in a message (for example ${var} ).
@include fileName	All	– Executes a specified file name, – Can be used in scripts, – Opens a new SQL console with the specified file and processes SQL queries as in a regular SQL editor.
@export { ... }	All	Opens the data transfer wizard with predefined settings. For more information see the main article.
source fileName	MySQL	The same as @include but in MySQL CLI syntax.
define var = value	Exasol	The same as @set but in Exasol EXAPlus syntax.

Note: This feature is available in Ultimate and Team editions, as well as in CloudBeaver Enterprise.

Overview

Cloud Explorer offers deep integration with popular cloud service providers. As of the latest version, it supports Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.

With Cloud Explorer, you can set up your cloud access once and then easily browse, connect, and manage your cloud databases. It saves you from manually configuring each database connection, as it reads all database endpoint information directly from the cloud provider.

Authentication is centralized. You use your cloud account to access your cloud databases. Before you start using Cloud Explorer, you need to set up your cloud provider access. This setup includes access credentials, availability zones for database search, and other cloud-specific settings.

Supported Databases

The Cloud Explorer allows you to easily connect with and manage various databases. Here is the list of databases it supports:

Providers	Databases
Amazon Web Services	PostgreSQL
	MySQL
	Oracle
	Amazon Redshift
	Amazon Athena
	Amazon DocumentDB
	Amazon DynamoDB
	Amazon Keyspaces
	Amazon ElastiCache (Redis)
	Amazon Timestream
	Amazon Neptune
Google Cloud Platform	AlloyDB for PostgreSQL
	Microsoft SQL Server
	PostgreSQL
	MySQL
	Spanner
	Firestore
	BigQuery
	Bigtable
Microsoft Azure	Microsoft SQL Server
	PostgreSQL
	MySQL
	CosmosDB (MongoDB)
	CosmosDB (Cassandra)

Cloud configuration

To begin the configuration process, click the Cloud Explorer button located in the Toolbar. From there, you can start setting up your cloud provider access according to your needs. This involves configuring your access credentials, specifying the availability zones for database search, and adjusting other cloud-specific settings. The setup process varies depending on the cloud service provider you’re using.

If this is your first time setting up, the Create Cloud Configuration dialog will open, guiding you through the setup process. Once you’ve set up your first cloud configuration, clicking the Cloud Explorer button will open a dialog displaying your cloud databases.

If you need to set up a new cloud configuration, you can do so by clicking the New button in the Cloud Explorer dialog. You can start setting up your new cloud provider access according to your needs.

Cloud configuration is different for each cloud service provider.

Amazon Web Services

Name	Description	Additional article
Default Credentials	Allows AWS to determine credentials using the standard credential providers.	AWS Default credentials
AWS Profile	Allows you to choose which credentials profile you want to use.	AWS Profile
Access/Secret Key	Allows you to choose which credentials profile you want to use. If you have an AWS Secret set up, enter it in the Connection settings.	AWS Access/Secret Key
Single Sign-On (SSO)	Allows access to AWS resources without explicitly specifying user credentials in DBeaver connections configuration.	AWS SSO guide

Tip: About permissions, read AWS managed policies article.

Google Cloud Platform

Name	Description	Additional article
Default Credentials	Allows GCP to determine credentials using the standard credential providers.	GCP Default credentials
Web browser or SSO	Allows you to authorize your connection through your Google account without needing a service or user-based key file.	GCP SSO
Access key file	Allows you to provide the path to your service or user credentials files.	GCP Access key

Microsoft Azure

Name	Description
Default credentials	Utilizes Azure identity to authenticate using the identity assigned to the service or local development environment.
Enterprise application	Represents a service principal identity in Azure Active Directory.
Client secret	A confidential string created in the Azure portal to authenticate your application to Azure services.
Client certificate	Uses a certificate to authenticate an application with Azure Active Directory.

Read more about available Microsoft Azure credentials types.

Configuring SSH Tunnels

DBeaver supports SSH tunnel connections for enhanced security when accessing cloud databases. Detailed instructions for setting up SSH tunnels in DBeaver are available in the SSH Tunnel Configuration article.

Explorer

Once you’ve configured your cloud provider access, open the Cloud Explorer dialog and add database connections. In the top drop-down of the explorer dialog, you can select the active cloud configuration or click Edit button to change the cloud configuration.

You can see cloud databases in the center of the dialog in a hierarchical view. All databases are grouped by database/service type. When you expand one of the top elements, DBeaver will search cloud databases in configured availability zones/regions.

If you have a large number of databases in your cloud, you can search or filter them using filter text above the cloud navigator.

You can drag-and-drop cloud databases directly to database navigator view or projects view. You can also add any number of databases to your project directly from the Cloud Explorer. To do this, click on the database you want to add. Once selected, click on the Add to Project button located in the bottom right corner of the Cloud Explorer dialog, or right-click on the database and select Add to Project from the context menu. This will add the selected database to your project, making it easier to manage and navigate your databases within specific projects.

Database cloud information

You can access your cloud database configuration directly from the Database Navigator. To do this, right-click on the database you are interested in and select Edit Connection. This action opens a special tab in the connection settings dialog. The information displayed in this tab is specific to the cloud and database type of the selected database.

Note: This feature is available in Ultimate and Team editions, as well as in CloudBeaver Enterprise.

Overview

Cloud Storage extends the functionality of Cloud Explorer to enable file management within cloud environments of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure. This feature simplifies the process of interacting with cloud-stored files. To use Cloud Storage, you must have either an existing cloud provider access connection or configure a new one.

The following are the specific cloud storage services that Cloud Storage interacts with in each cloud environment:

• AWS: Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
• GCP: Google Cloud Storage

Tip: For detailed setup instructions, refer to the Cloud configuration section in the Cloud Explorer article.

Cloud Storage

After configuring your cloud provider access, you can start using Cloud Storage. To access it, follow these steps:

• Click the Cloud Storage button on the toolbar.
• Alternatively, go to the menu and select Window -> Cloud Storage.

This action will launch a window displaying the cloud services for which credentials were provided during setup. In this window, use the dropdown menu to navigate through folders and view files stored in the cloud.

You can filter and sort your folders and files by their name or region using the interface’s

and columns. Click on the respective column header to organize the displayed folders, according to these criteria, especially useful when managing a large number of folders.

Capabilities in Cloud Storage

The Cloud Storage offers a range of functionalities for managing files within the cloud. Here are the actions you can perform:

Direct capabilities in Cloud Storage

Some functionalities are directly accessible within the Cloud Storage interface:

Capability	Description
Open Resource	Open a folder in a new window to view details like Name , Path , Size , Location , and Last Modified . Double-click on the folder, or right-click on the folder and select Open resource folder name from the context menu. Use the Configure columns button to customize which columns are displayed in the window, tailoring the view to your specific needs. In the opened window, use the Search item button to conduct searches within the folder.
Create new folder	Create new folders within the cloud environment. To do this, right-click where you want the new folder and select Create New Folder button .
Save resource(s) to local disk	Save selected resource(s) from the cloud to the local disk. Select the file(s) or folder(s) in Cloud Storage you wish to download, then choose the Save resource(s) to local disk option available both in the top toolbar of Cloud Storage and the context menu.
Load resource(s) from local disk	Upload resource(s) from the local disk to the cloud. Select the target folder in Cloud Storage where you want to upload files, then choose the Load resource(s) from local disk option which can be found in the top toolbar of Cloud Storage as well as the context menu.

Tip: In addition to the Save to Local Disk and Load from Local Disk features, you can also copy files using the drag-and-drop mechanism.

Additional interactions via other features

Some functionalities of Cloud Storage are accessible through the integration with other features of DBeaver:

Capability	Description
Export/Import files	Export to or import files from folders within the Cloud Storage. Details are available in Data transfer article.
Backup/Restore	Perform backup and restore operations using files from or saving outputs to the Cloud Storage, as detailed in Backup and Restore.
Data compare	After comparing files or folders, save the results directly to Cloud Storage. Details are available in Data Comparison.
Schema Compare	Compare database schemas and optionally save comparison results to Cloud Storage. Further information is found in Schema Comparison.

Tip: To ensure you see the most updated information after performing file-related actions in Cloud Storage, it’s important to refresh the folder manually. Right-click on the folder and select the refresh option from the context menu.

Command line parameters can be passed directly to the DBeaver executable. The way to do this depends on your operating system:

Windows

You can use the

executable. This executable does not spawn a new window, so you can see the output messages.

Mac

Parameters can be passed to DBeaver in one of two ways:

• Use the open command followed by the
  -a
  flag and the name of the application, along with any necessary arguments. Depending on the version of DBeaver, you might need to specify
  DBeaver.app
  ,
  DBeaverLite.app
  ,
  DBeaverEE.app
  ,
  DBeaverUltimate.app
  , or
  DBeaverTeam.app
  . For example:
  open -a "DBeaver.app" --args [parameters]
  .

Note: This method does not redirect logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

• Pass parameters directly to the DBeaver executable in the terminal using the path where the

  .app
  file is located. For example:
  /Applications/DBeaver.app/Content/MacOS/dbeaver [parameters]
  . This method redirects logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

Linux

Pass parameters directly to the DBeaver executable in the terminal. For example:

. This method redirects logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

For both Windows and Mac, parameters can also be added in the

configuration file. These should be written at the beginning of the file, with each parameter on its own line.

Tip: Detailed instructions on finding

dbeaver.ini

are available in our article.

Command line parameters

DBeaver control

Name	Value	Example
-help	Prints help message.
-stop	Quits DBeaver.
-dump	Prints DBeaver thread dump. Learn more about Thread Dump
-f	Opens the file in DBeaver UI, if the command has -con argument, connects it to datasource.	-f c:\some-path\some-file.sql
-con	Opens database connection in DBeaver UI.	See connection parameters table
-closeTabs	Closes all open editor tabs.
-disconnectAll	Closes all open connections.
-reuseWorkspace	Forces reuse of single workspace by multiple DBeaver instances.
-newInstance	Forces new DBeaver instance creation (do not try to reuse already running one).
-bringToFront	Brings the DBeaver window on top of other applications.
-var	Customs variables for runTask. You can change existing variables in the task. You cannot add new task variables with this parameter. You can add several parameters at once to the command line, each starting with -var . Used right before -runTask . Template: -var variableName=variableValue .	-var film=sakila.film -var actor=sakila.actor -runTask "exportFromSakila" PRO versions only.
-vars	Path to a property file with variables.	-vars c:\path\to\file.properties For more information see the main article
-runTask	Executes specified task.	-runTask "@projectName:taskName" . PRO versions only. See Task Scheduler.
-license	Path to the license file.	-license "/etc/licenses/dbeaver.txt" . PRO versions only.

System parameters

Name	Value	Example
-nl	Locale.	en_US
-data	Workspace path.	c:\ProgramData\MyWorkspace
-nosplash	Omits splash screen.	true
-clean	Clears all Eclipse caches. Use it if DBeaver fails to start after it upgrades.
-vmargs	VM parameters.	See VM arguments table

VM arguments

You can pass any advanced Java parameters supported by your local JVM. Parameters supported by HotSpot JVM (17):

Parameters supported by all JVMs:

Name	Value	Example
-Xms	Sets initial memory available for DBeaver.	-Xmx1000m
-Xmx	Sets maximum memory available for DBeaver.	-Xmx4000m

Connection parameters

All connection parameters must be supplied as a single command line argument. The parameters are divided by pipe (

). The parameter name and value is divided by .
For example

Name	Description	Example
name	Connection name.	Test connection
driver	Driver name or ID.	driver=sqlite , driver=mysql , etc
url	Connection URL. Optional (JDBC URL may be constructed by a driver from other parameters).	url=jdbc:sqlite:C:\db\SQLite\Chinook.db
host	Database host name (optional).	host=localhost
port	Database port number (optional).	port=1534
server	Database server name (optional).	server=myserver
database	Database name or path (optional).	database=db-name
user	User name (optional).	user=root
password	User password (optional).	password=mysecret
auth	Authentication model ID. See Auth models.	auth=postgres_pgpass
authProp.propName	Custom authentication parameters (depends on the driver and auth model).	authProp.oracle.net.wallet_location=C:/temp/ora-wallet
savePassword	Does not ask user for a password on connection.	savePassword=true
showSystemObjects	Shows/Hides system schemas, tables, etc.	showSystemObjects=true
showUtilityObjects	Shows/Hides utility schemas, tables, etc.	showUtilityObjects=true
folder	Puts a new connection in a folder.	folder=FolderName
autoCommit	Sets connection auto commit flag (default value depends on driver).	autoCommit=true
prop.propName	Advanced connection parameters (depend on driver).	prop.connectTimeout=30
id	Connection id.	oracle_thin-16a88e815bd-70598e648cedd28c (useful in conjunction with create=false )
connect	Connects to this database.	connect=false
openConsole	Opens the SQL console for this database (sets connect to true).	openConsole=true
create	Creates new connection.	create=false (true by default). If it is set as false, then an existing connection configuration will be used. The name or id parameter must be specified.
save	Saves new connection.	When create=true , then save=false (default) makes new connection temporary, save=true means that new connection will be saved and accessible between DBeaver launches.

Declare external variables in a file

See the main article

Note: This feature is available in Enterprise, Ultimate and Team editions only.

Overview

DBeaver allows you to create composite tasks that incorporate multiple other tasks. For example, you can group various data export tasks into a composite task, making managing and running them together at a set time simpler.

Creating a Composite task

1. To start creating a composite task, open the Create a task dialog. You can do this by:

   • Right-clicking in the database navigator and selecting Tools -> Create new task…
   • Clicking on Database -> Tasks -> Create new task…
   • Navigating to Database -> Tasks -> Database tasks, right-clicking, and choosing Create new task…

   

   In the Create a task wizard, select Composite task. Enter a name, and optionally add a description and a task folder. Click Next to continue.

2. In the task configuration dialog, you can add tasks to your composite task using these controls:

   

Button/Checkbox Name	Button Image	Description
+ (Add)		Click to add existing tasks.
Create and add new task		Directly creates a new task and adds it to the composite task.
Edit task		Change the settings of a selected task.
Delete task		Removes the selected task from the composite task.
Drag-and-drop area		Drag tasks from Database tasks and drop them here to add them to the composite task.
Ignore task error		Allows the composite task to continue even if one task fails.
Show all notifications		Shows all notifications for the tasks within the composite task.

Note: A composite task can also include other composite tasks.

3. After setting up the tasks, click Proceed to save and start the composite task.

Editing a Composite task

To edit a composite task, go to Database -> Tasks -> Database Tasks. Here, you can edit, delete, or rearrange tasks in your composite task.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with building DBeaver, ensure that your system meets the following prerequisites:

• JDK 17 or higher: DBeaver currently uses OpenJDK 17 as the default Java Development Kit. Make sure you have JDK 17 or a newer version installed.

Important: OpenJDK is an open-source version of Java. This means you do not need to purchase a separate Java license to use DBeaver.

• Apache Maven 3.9.0 or higher: This is required for managing the project’s build. You can download it from the Apache Maven website.
• Git: Needed for cloning the DBeaver repository. If you do not have Git installed, visit the official Git website for download and installation instructions.

• Internet Access: Required for downloading dependencies and other necessary components during the build process.

Build steps

1. Clone the DBeaver repository:

   
   git clone https://github.com/dbeaver/dbeaver.git dbeaver
   
   cd dbeaver
   
   

2. To build the project, use the appropriate script for your operating system:

   On Windows, run:

   `
   sh cd tools build.cmd
    On Linux or macOS, run:
   sh cd tools ./build.sh
   `

After the build process completes, the binaries can be found in the

directory.

Note: This driver is available in Lite, Enterprise, Ultimate and Team editions only.

Overview

DBeaver supports Cassandra schema browser, data viewer and CQL queries execution. It also supports various administrative tools.

Connecting to Cassandra cluster

You can connect directly to a server or use SSH tunneling or SOCKS proxy. DBeaver uses the DataStax Java driver to operate with a server. It supports Cassandra servers 2.x, 3.x or higher.

Browsing Cassandra tables

You can browse, view, edit and filter Cassandra tables the same way as with regular (relational) tables. However, being a distributed key-value database, Cassandra does not support any kind of referential integrity. There are no foreign keys, references, etc.
You should note that Cassandra has a very advanced (comparing to relational databases) data type system. Each column may be a collection, map, or set of values (with very big number of values). In some cases this makes browsing data in the “Grid” mode inconvenient.

Executing CQL

CQL Cassandra Query Language is a very simple SQL language dialect.
It supports simple SELECT queries, DDL statements (like CREATE TABLE) and some other query types.

You can use the standard DBeaver SQL editor to execute CQL queries. DBeaver supports Cassandra query execution, results scrolling, data export/import, mock data generation and other features. Data viewer (of individual tables or custom CQL query results) query tracing is supported.

ERD

Physical ERD (Entity Relation Diagram) does not make much sense for Cassandra as there are no foreign keys. However, you can make you own custom ERD and connect an actual Cassandra table with each other using logical associations.