MySQL

Connect MySQL databases to CloudThinker

MySQL

Connect your MySQL databases to enable Tony (Database Engineer) to analyze queries, optimize performance, and monitor database health.

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Supported Platforms

Platform	Support
Self-hosted MySQL	5.7, 8.0, 8.1+
MariaDB	10.x
AWS RDS MySQL	All versions
AWS Aurora MySQL	All versions
Google Cloud SQL	All MySQL versions
Azure Database for MySQL	Flexible Server

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Setup

1. Connect as Root

   Connect to MySQL as root or admin user:

   mysql -h your-host -u root -p
   
2. Create Read-Only User

   Create the CloudThinker user:

   CREATE USER 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-secure-password';
   
3. Grant Read Permissions

   Grant SELECT and monitoring privileges:

   GRANT SELECT ON *.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
   GRANT SHOW DATABASES ON *.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
   GRANT PROCESS ON *.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
   
4. Grant Performance Schema Access

   Required for query analysis:

   GRANT SELECT ON performance_schema.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
   
5. Apply Changes

   Flush privileges to apply changes:

   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   
6. Enable Performance Schema

   Verify Performance Schema is enabled:

   SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'performance_schema';
   -- Should return: ON
   

   If disabled, add to my.cnf:

   [mysqld]
   performance_schema = ON
   
7. Configure Network Access

   Ensure CloudThinker can reach your database:

   • Add CloudThinker IPs to security group / firewall
   • For RDS: Enable public access or use VPC peering
8. Add Connection in CloudThinker

   Navigate to Connections → MySQL and enter:

   • Host
   • Port (default: 3306)
   • Database name
   • Username: cloudthinker_readonly
   • Password
   • SSL (recommended: enabled)

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Connection String Format

mysql://cloudthinker_readonly:your-secure-password@your-host:3306/database-name

Example:

mysql://cloudthinker_readonly:[e-mail]:3306/production

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Required Permissions

Minimum

GRANT SELECT ON your_database.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
GRANT PROCESS ON *.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';

Recommended (Full Analysis)

-- All of the above, plus:
GRANT SELECT ON performance_schema.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
GRANT SELECT ON mysql.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';
GRANT REPLICATION CLIENT ON *.* TO 'cloudthinker_readonly'@'%';

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Agent Capabilities

Once connected, Tony can:

Capability	Description
Query Analysis	Identify slow queries from slow query log and Performance Schema
Index Recommendations	Find missing indexes, identify redundant indexes
Performance Metrics	Monitor connections, buffer pool, query cache
Table Statistics	Analyze table sizes, fragmentation, engine status
Replication Monitoring	Check slave status, lag, errors

Example Prompts

@tony analyze slow queries on production MySQL
@tony #dashboard database performance metrics
@tony recommend index optimizations for high-frequency queries
@tony check replication status on the read replica

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Connection Options

Option	Description	Default
SSL	Enable SSL/TLS encryption	Enabled
Connection Timeout	Seconds to wait for connection	10
Read Timeout	Max time to wait for query results	30

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Troubleshooting

Connection refused

• Verify host and port are correct
• Check security group / firewall allows CloudThinker IPs
• For RDS: Ensure “Publicly accessible” is enabled or use VPC peering
• Confirm MySQL is listening on the correct interface (bind-address)

Access denied

• Verify username and password are correct
• Check user has correct host specification ('user'@'%' vs 'user'@'localhost')
• Ensure GRANT statements were followed by FLUSH PRIVILEGES

Performance Schema disabled

• Check with: SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'performance_schema';
• Enable in my.cnf and restart MySQL
• For RDS: Modify parameter group and reboot

Missing slow query data

• Enable slow query log: SET GLOBAL slow_query_log = 'ON';
• Set threshold: SET GLOBAL long_query_time = 1;
• For RDS: Modify parameter group

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Security Best Practices

• Strong passwords - Use complex, unique passwords
• SSL encryption - Always enable SSL for connections
• Network restrictions - Limit access to CloudThinker IPs only
• Minimal permissions - Grant only SELECT, never write access
• Credential rotation - Rotate passwords every 90 days

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Related

Tony Agent

Database-focused optimization agent

PostgreSQL Connection

Similar setup for PostgreSQL databases