# Connecting to an Amazon RDS database With **AWS Explorer**, you can select an Amazon RDS database, choose an authentication method, and then configure the connection settings. After you've successfully tested the connection, you can start interacting with the data source using JetBrains DataGrip. **Important** Ensure that you've completed the [prerequisites](rds-access-prerequisities.md) to enable users to access and interact with Amazon RDS databases. Select a tab for instructions on connecting to a database instance using your preferred authentication method. ------ #### [ Connect with IAM credentials ] 1. Open AWS Explorer, if it isn't already open. 1. Click the **Amazon RDS** node to expand the list of supported database engines. 1. Click a supported database engine (Aurora, MySQL, or PostgreSQL) node to expand the list of available database instances. **Note** If you select Aurora, you can choose between expanding a MySQL cluster and a PostgreSQL cluster. 1. Right-click a database and choose **Connect with IAM credentials**. **Note** You can also choose **Copy Arn** to add the database's Amazon Resource Name (ARN) to your clipboard. 1. In the **Data Sources and Drivers** dialog box, do the following to ensure a database connection can be opened: + In the **Imported Data Sources** pane, confirm that the correct the correct data source is selected. + If a message indicates that you need to **Download missing driver files**, choose **Go to Driver** (the wrench icon) to download the required files. 1. In the **General** tab of the **Settings** pane, confirm that the following fields display the correct values: + **Host/Port** – The endpoint and port used for connections to the database. For Amazon RDS databases hosted in the AWS Cloud, endpoints always end with `rds.amazon.com`. If you're connecting to a DB instance through a proxy, use these fields to specify the proxy's connection details. + **Authentication** – **AWS IAM** (authentication using IAM credentials). + **User** – The name of your database user account. + **Credentials** – The credentials used to access your AWS account. + **Region** – The AWS Region where the database is hosted. + **RDS Host/Port** – The endpoint and port for the database as listed in the AWS Management Console. If you're using a different endpoint to connect to a DB instance, specify the proxy's connection details in the **Host/Port** fields (described previously). + **Database** – The name of the database. + **URL** – The URL that the JetBrains IDE will use to connect to the database. ![\[Connection settings for an Amazon RDS database with IAM credentials used for authentication.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/toolkit-for-jetbrains/latest/userguide/images/rds-auth-iam.png) **Note** For a full description of the connection settings that you can configure using the **Data sources and drivers** dialog box, see the [documentation for the JetBrains IDE](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/) that you're using. 1. To verify the connection settings are correct, choose **Test Connection**. A green check mark indicates a successful test. 1. Choose **Apply** to apply your settings, and then choose **OK** to start working with the data source. The **Database** tool window opens. This displays the available data sources as a tree with nodes representing database elements such as schemas, tables, and keys. **Important** To use the **Database** tool window, you must first download and install DataGrip from JetBrains. For more information, see [https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/](https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/). ------ #### [ Connect with Secrets Manager ] 1. Open AWS Explorer, if it isn't already open. 1. Click the **Amazon RDS** node to expand the list of supported database engines. 1. Click a supported database engine (Aurora, MySQL, or PostgreSQL) node to expand the list of available database instances. **Note** If you select Aurora, you can choose between expanding a MySQL cluster and a PostgreSQL cluster. 1. Right-click a database and choose **Connect with Secrets Manager**. **Note** You can also choose **Copy Arn** to add the database's Amazon Resource Name (ARN) to your clipboard. 1. In the **Select a Database Secret** dialog box, use the drop-down field to pick credentials for the database, and then choose **Create**. 1. In the **Data Sources and Drivers** dialog box, do the following to ensure a database connection can be opened: + In the **Imported Data Sources** pane, confirm that the correct the correct data source is selected. + If a message indicates that you need to **Download missing driver files**, choose **Go to Driver** (the wrench icon) to download the required files. 1. In the **General** tab of the **Settings** pane, confirm that the following fields display the correct values: + **Host/Port** – The endpoint and port used for connections to the database. For Amazon RDS databases hosted in the AWS Cloud, endpoints always end with `rds.amazon.com`. If you're connecting to a database through a proxy database, use these fields to specify the proxy's connection details. + **Authentication** – **SecretsManager Auth** (authentication using AWS Secrets Manager). + **Credentials** – The credentials used to access your AWS account. + **Region** – The AWS Region where the database is hosted. + **Secret Name/ARN** – The name and ARN of the secret containing authentication credentials. To override the connection settings in the **Host/Port** fields, select the **Use the url and port from the secret** check box. + **Database** – The name of the database instance you selected in **AWS Explorer**. + **URL** – The URL that the JetBrains IDE will use to connect to the database. **Note** If you're using Secrets Manager for authentication, there are no fields for a user name and password for the database. This information is contained in the encrypted secret data portion of a secret. ![\[Connection settings with IAM credentials used for authentication.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/toolkit-for-jetbrains/latest/userguide/images/rds-auth-asm.png) **Note** For a full description of the connection settings that you can configure using the **Data sources and drivers** dialog box, see the [documentation for the JetBrains IDE](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/) that you're using. 1. To verify the connection settings are correct, choose **Test Connection**. A green check mark indicates a successful test. 1. Choose **Apply** to apply your settings, and then choose **OK** to start working with the data source. The **Database** tool window opens. This displays the available data sources as a tree with nodes representing database elements such as schemas, tables, and keys. **Important** To use the **Database** tool window, you must first download and install DataGrip from JetBrains. For more information, see [https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/](https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/). ------