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How Dora connects to a database, from connection strings to automatic engine and SSL detection, account integrations, and SSH tunnels.
Dora connects to any PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, CockroachDB, SQLite, DuckDB, or libSQL database. Almost every hosted provider gives you a standard connection string, and Dora handles the rest.
Open the connection dialog (Mod+Shift+N), toggle Use connection string, and
paste a URL. Dora reads the scheme and host to figure out the rest:
| Scheme | Engine |
|---|---|
postgresql:// / postgres:// | PostgreSQL (or CockroachDB / Yugabyte by host) |
mysql:// | MySQL or MariaDB |
libsql:// | libSQL (Turso) |
sqlite:// | SQLite |
duckdb:// | DuckDB |
posthog:// | PostHog (HogQL) |
Dora recognizes the major managed hosts by their hostname and applies the right settings for you:
*.planetscale.com host is treated as MySQL, while
*.cockroachlabs.cloud is treated as CockroachDB.?sslmode=... or ?ssl=... in your URL always wins.26257 → CockroachDB, 3306 → MySQL, 5432 → PostgreSQL.If you mistype a scheme (postgrss://), Dora suggests the closest valid one
instead of failing silently.
For some providers you can skip copying strings entirely. Dora has account integrations for Supabase, Neon, Vercel, PlanetScale, Xata, Cloudflare D1, PostHog, and Turso: sign in once, and Dora lists your projects/databases and builds the connection for you. Look for the Connect with… option in the connection dialog. The provider-specific pages note where this is available.
To reach a Postgres or MySQL database on a private network, enable SSH tunnel in the connection dialog and provide:
22), and username,Dora opens the tunnel before connecting and tears it down on disconnect. Your database host and port stay as they are on the private network. Dora forwards them locally for you.
Several Postgres hosts (Supabase, Neon, and others) offer a connection pooler on a different port or hostname. Poolers are great for short-lived queries; use a direct connection if you need features the pooler does not support (such as some session-level settings). Each provider page calls out which string to use.