What is the MySQL JDBC driver connection string?

The connection string for the MySQL JDBC driver is a standard database connection URL used to specify the database host, port, database name, user credentials, and other connection-specific properties in Java applications.

A typical MySQL JDBC connection string format is as follows:

shell
jdbc:mysql://[host1][:port1][,[host2][:port2]]...[/[database]][?propertyName1=propertyValue1[&propertyName2=propertyValue2]...]

Example:

Assume your MySQL server address is localhost, the port is the default 3306, the database name is exampledb, the username is user, and the password is password. Then the connection string can be:

shell
jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/exampledb?user=user&password=password

In this example:

• jdbc:mysql:// is the fixed prefix indicating the JDBC protocol and database type (MySQL).
• localhost:3306 specifies the database server running on the local machine at port 3306.
• /exampledb identifies the target database to connect to.
• ?user=user&password=password provides the username and password required for database authentication.

Additionally, other properties can be added to the connection string, such as enabling SSL, setting connection timeout, or specifying character set. For example, to establish an SSL connection, include useSSL=true:

shell
jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/exampledb?user=user&password=password&useSSL=true

This standardized format enables Java applications to connect to the MySQL database server via the JDBC API in a consistent and reliable manner.