Connections
A connection stores how DBO Studio reaches one database server or file. Everything else (the explorer, queries, the assistant) works inside the connection you have open.
Supported databases
DBO Studio speaks three protocols. Hosted services that use one of them appear as their own cards in the New connection picker.
| Protocol | Databases |
|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL, Supabase, Neon, TimescaleDB, AlloyDB, Amazon RDS and Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure Database |
| MySQL | MySQL, MariaDB, Percona, HeatWave, Amazon RDS and Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure Database |
| SQLite | Any local SQLite file |
Note: For Supabase and Neon, use the direct connection on port 5432, not the pooler on port 6543. The pooler does not support everything the explorer needs.
SQL Server is planned and not available yet.
Add a connection
- Click New connection and pick your database.
- Fill in the form, or paste a connection URI such as
postgres://user:pass@host:5432/app. DBO Studio splits it into fields. - Click Test. DBO Studio connects once and reports the server version or a specific error.
- Click Create.
Fields
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | Shown in the connection list. |
| Host, port | Server address. |
| User, password | Database credentials. |
| Database | The database to open first. You can switch databases from the explorer later. |
| Remember password | Off by default, so DBO Studio asks for the password when you open the connection. Turn it on to store the password encrypted. |
| SSL | PostgreSQL and MySQL. See below. |
| Path | SQLite only. The full path to the database file on the machine that runs DBO Studio. |
Note: On a self-hosted server, a SQLite path refers to a file on that server, not on your laptop.
SSL
PostgreSQL and MySQL connections accept the usual SSL modes. MySQL has every mode except Allow.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Disable | Never use SSL. |
| Allow | Use SSL only if the server insists. |
| Prefer | Try SSL first, fall back to plain. |
| Require | Always use SSL, without checking the certificate. |
| Verify CA | Use SSL and check the server certificate against your CA. |
| Verify Full | Like Verify CA, and also check the host name. |
Use Verify Full for anything that crosses the internet. Test reports whether SSL was actually negotiated.
Manage connections
Right-click a connection in the list to edit, duplicate, or delete it. The edit form also has Copy URI, which copies the connection string without the password.
Each connection also has its own Safe Mode level. Set it from the lock icon in the top bar while the connection is open.
How passwords are stored
Saved passwords are encrypted with AES-GCM using a key file that only DBO Studio reads. They never appear in API responses or logs. See Security.
Shared connections
On a self-hosted server with login on, an admin can share a connection with other users as viewer or editor. Each person still uses their own database password unless the admin also shares the saved one. See Authentication and users.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Connection refused or timeout | The host and port are reachable from the machine that runs DBO Studio. For Docker, localhost is the container, not your computer. Use host.docker.internal on Docker Desktop. |
| SSL error | Lower the mode to Prefer to confirm, then provide a CA and use Verify Full. |
| Tables do not appear | The user needs read access to the catalog (pg_catalog, information_schema). |
| SQLite file not found | The path must be absolute and exist on the DBO Studio host. |