dev-guide-connect-to-tidb.md

title	Connect to TiDB
summary	An overview of methods to connect to TiDB.
aliases	/tidb/stable/dev-guide-connect-to-tidb/ /tidb/dev/dev-guide-connect-to-tidb/

Connect to TiDB

TiDB is highly compatible with the MySQL protocol, so you can connect to it using most MySQL tools, drivers, and ORMs.

• To execute SQL manually (for connectivity testing, debugging, or quick verification), start with MySQL CLI tools.

• To connect using a visual interface, refer to the documents of the following popular GUI tools:

  • JetBrains DataGrip
  • DBeaver
  • VS Code
  • MySQL Workbench
  • Navicat

• To build applications on TiDB, choose a driver or ORM based on your programming language and framework.

• To connect to {{{ .starter }}} or {{{ .essential }}} instances from edge environments via HTTP, use the TiDB Cloud Serverless Driver. Note that the serverless driver is in beta and only applicable to {{{ .starter }}} or {{{ .essential }}} instances.

Need help?

• Ask the community on Discord or Slack.
• Submit a support ticket for TiDB Cloud
• Submit a support ticket for TiDB Self-Managed