Quick Start Guide: ClearDB for Managed MySQL on Bluemix

ClearDB is fully compatible with MySQL-powered applications running on the IBM Cloud.  Our popular Community Edition plans are integrated with Bluemix PaaS and run on Bluemix Infarstructure (formerly Softlayer), allowing you to quickly select and spin-up a database plan from inside the Bluemix environment.
Note: If you prefer you can also create an account here on ClearDB.com and spin up databases from our console, which can make it easier to manage multiple databases or quickly access support.  Our single-tenant Developer Edition and Production Edition datastores for the IBM Cloud are only available directly from ClearDB.com at this time.  This guide assumes you will be using the Bluemix Catalog to create your Community Edition database.

Step 1: Choose your plan

Locate ClearDB in the Bluemix Catalog through the search functionality, then choose your service plan.  The selection screen will look like this:

Step 2: Click through to ClearDB

Once you have successfully spun up your database, Bluemix will provide you with a link to the ClearDB dashboard.

Go ahead and click it now to log into the ClearDB console.

Step 3: Locate your credentials

Once you’re at the ClearDB dashboard, locate your database name and click it.

Now look for the “Endpoint Information” tab in the top navigation menu and click it.  You’ll then see a page with everything you need to connect your application to your database.

Note that you’ll want to use the hostname located under “Cluster Gateway Information” header and not the individual node names found under the “Cluster Nodes” header.  This will ensure non-stop access via automatic failover if any of your individual cluster nodes should become unavailable.

Step 4: Test your connection

Although the ClearDB dashboard will report the status of the database, you can test it yourself with a free tool like MySQL Workbench.  Just fire it up and create a new connection using your ClearDB credentials.

Once you have entered the hostname, username and password, and given the connection a name, you can click the “Test Connection” button to ensure your application can reach the database.  If successful you should see something like this:

If you made it this far, you’re all set!  Now just update your MySQL-powered application with the credentials for your ClearDB managed database and leave the maintenance, backups and up-time to us!