# Accessing Amazon RDS by using the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains
<a name="accessing-rds"></a>

Using Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), you can provision and manage SQL relational database systems in the cloud. Using AWS Toolkit for JetBrains, you can connect to and interact with the following Amazon RDS database engines:
+ Aurora – A MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud. For more information, see the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/CHAP_AuroraOverview.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/CHAP_AuroraOverview.html).
+ MySQL – Amazon RDS supports several major versions of the open-source relational database. For more information, see [MySQL on Amazon RDS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_MySQL.html) in the *Amazon RDS User Guide*.
+ PostgreSQL – Amazon RDS supports several major version of the open-source object-relational database. For more information, see [PostgreSQL on Amazon RDS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_PostgreSQL.html) in the *Amazon RDS User Guide*.

The following topics describe the prerequisites for accessing RDS databases and how to use AWS Toolkit for JetBrains to connect to a database instance.

**Topics**
+ [Prerequisites for accessing Amazon RDS databases](rds-access-prerequisities.md)
+ [Connecting to an Amazon RDS database](rds-connection.md)

# Prerequisites for accessing Amazon RDS databases
<a name="rds-access-prerequisities"></a>

Before you can connect to an Amazon RDS database using AWS Toolkit for JetBrains, you need to complete the following tasks: 
+ [Create a DB instance and set up its authentication method](#db-authentication)
+ [Download and install DataGrip](#datagrip-info)

## Creating an Amazon RDS DB instance and configuring an authentication method
<a name="db-authentication"></a>

 AWS Toolkit for JetBrains enables you to connect to an Amazon RDS DB instance that's already been created and configured in AWS. A DB instance is an isolated database environment running in the cloud that can contain multiple user-created databases. For information about creating DB instances for the supported database engines, see [ Getting started with Amazon RDS resources](Amazon RDS User GuideCHAP_GettingStarted.html) in the *Amazon RDS User Guide*. 

When connecting to a database using AWS Toolkit for JetBrains, users can choose to authenticate using IAM credentials or Secrets Manager. The following table describes key features and information resources for both options: 


****  

| Authentication methods | How it works | More information | 
| --- | --- | --- | 
|  Connect with IAM credentials  |  With IAM database authentication, you don't need to store user credentials in the database because authentication is managed externally using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) credentials.By default, IAM database authentication is disabled on DB instances. You can enable IAM database authentication (or disable it again) using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the API.   |  [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/toolkit-for-jetbrains/latest/userguide/rds-access-prerequisities.html)  | 
|  Connect with AWS Secrets Manager  |  A database administrator can store credentials for a database as a secret in Secrets Manager. Secrets Manager encrypts and stores the credentials within the secret as the *protected secret text*. When an application with permissions accesses the database, Secrets Manager decrypts the protected secret text and returns it over a secured channel. The client parses the returned credentials, connection string, and any other required information and then uses that information to access the database.  |  [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/toolkit-for-jetbrains/latest/userguide/rds-access-prerequisities.html)  | 

## Working with Amazon RDS databases using DataGrip
<a name="datagrip-info"></a>

After you've connected to an Amazon RDS data source, you can start interacting with it. By using DataGrip from JetBrains, you can carry out database tasks such as writing SQL, running queries, and importing/exporting data. Features provided by DataGrip are also available in the database plugin for a range of JetBrains IDEs. For information about DataGrip, see [https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/](https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/).

# Connecting to an Amazon RDS database
<a name="rds-connection"></a>

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/). 

------