Connect using Cloud SQL Language Connectors

The Cloud SQL Connectors are libraries that provide encryption and Identity and Access Management (IAM)-based authorization when connecting to a Cloud SQL instance. They can't provide a network path to a Cloud SQL instance if one is not already present.

Other ways to connect to a Cloud SQL instance include using a database client or the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy. See the About connection options page for more information about connecting to a Cloud SQL instance.

This page discusses the following Cloud SQL Connectors:

  • The Cloud SQL Java Connector
  • The Cloud SQL Python Connector (Open in Colab)
  • The Cloud SQL Go Connector
  • The Cloud SQL Node.js Connector

Benefits

Using a Cloud SQL connector provides the following benefits:

  • IAM authorization: Uses IAM permissions to control who or what can connect to your Cloud SQL instances.
  • Convenience: Removes the requirement to manage SSL certificates, configure firewall rules, or enable authorized networks.

Before you begin

Setup

Java

The Cloud SQL Java Connector is a library that provides IAM-based authorization and encryption when connecting to a Cloud SQL instance. It can not provide a network path to a Cloud SQL instance if one is not already present.

Install

For instructions on building and using the drivers for JDBC and R2DBC with the Cloud SQL Java Connector, see the following links:

For examples of this library being used in the context of an application, check out these sample applications.

Authenticate

This library uses Application Default Credentials to authenticate the connection to the Cloud SQL server.

To activate credentials locally, use the following gcloud command:

    gcloud auth application-default login
    

Connect with Intellij

In order to connect IntelliJ to your Cloud SQL instance, you will need to add the library as a jar with dependencies in the Additional Files section on the driver settings page. For example, prebuilt fat jars can be found on the Cloud SQL Java Connector Releases page for this purpose.

Python

The Cloud SQL Python Connector is a library that can be used alongside a database driver to allow users with sufficient permissions to connect to a Cloud SQL database without having to manually allowlist IPs or manage SSL certificates.

For interactive examples of using the Cloud SQL Python Connector, open the Cloud SQL Python Connector notebook.

The driver that SQL Server supports is pytds.

Install

To install the latest release of the Cloud SQL Python Connector, use the pip install command and specify the pytds driver for your database:

    pip install "cloud-sql-python-connector[pytds]"
    

Authenticate

This library uses Application Default Credentials to authenticate the connection to the Cloud SQL server.

To activate credentials locally, use the following gcloud command:

    gcloud auth application-default login
    

Go

The Cloud SQL Go connector is a Cloud SQL connector designed for use with the Go language. For improved security, this connector uses robust, manually authenticated TLS 1.3 encryption between the client connector and the server-side proxy, independent of the database protocol.

Install

You can install this repo with go get:

    go get cloud.google.com/go/cloudsqlconn
    

Node.js

The Node.js Connector is a library designed for use with the Node.js runtime that allows you to connect securely to your Cloud SQL instance.

Install

You can install the library with npm install:

    npm install @google-cloud/cloud-sql-connector
    

Use

Java

To see this snippet in the context of a web application, view the README on GitHub.

Python

See How to use this Connector for detailed instructions on using the library. View example connection test code on GitHub.

Go

See Usage for detailed instructions on using the library. View example connection test code on GitHub.

Node.js

For detailed instructions on using the library, see Usage.

Enforce

By using connector enforcement, you can enforce using only the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy or Cloud SQL Language Connectors to connect to Cloud SQL instances. With connector enforcement, Cloud SQL rejects direct connections to the database.

If you're using a Private Service Connect-enabled instance, then there's a limitation. If the instance has connector enforcement enabled, then you can't create read replicas for the instance. Similarly, if the instance has read replicas, then you can't enable connector enforcement for the instance.

gcloud

To enforce using only the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy or Cloud SQL Language Connectors to connect to an instance, use the gcloud sql instances patch command:

gcloud sql instances patch INSTANCE_NAME \
--connector-enforcement=REQUIRED

Replace INSTANCE_NAME with the name of your Cloud SQL instance.

REST

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • PROJECT_ID: the ID or project number of the Google Cloud project that contains the instance
  • INSTANCE_NAME: the name of your Cloud SQL instance

HTTP method and URL:

PATCH https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME

Request JSON body:

{
  "kind": "sql#instance",
  "name": INSTANCE_NAME,
  "project": PROJECT_ID,
  "settings": {
  "connectorEnforcement": "REQUIRED",
  "kind": "sql#settings"
  }
}

To send your request, expand one of these options:

curl (Linux, macOS, or Cloud Shell)

Save the request body in a file named request.json, and execute the following command:

curl -X PATCH \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
-d @request.json \
"https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME"

PowerShell (Windows)

Save the request body in a file named request.json, and execute the following command:

$cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }

Invoke-WebRequest `
-Method PATCH `
-Headers $headers `
-ContentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" `
-InFile request.json `
-Uri "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME" | Select-Object -Expand Content

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

{
  "kind": "sql#operation",
  "targetLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "user": "user@example.com",
  "insertTime": "2020-01-16T02:32:12.281Z",
  "operationType": "UPDATE",
  "name": "OPERATION_ID",
  "targetId": "INSTANCE_NAME",
  "selfLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/operations/OPERATION_ID",
  "targetProject": "PROJECT_ID"
}

Troubleshoot

Driver versions

Make sure you are using the latest version of the Cloud SQL Connectors and your database driver to avoid incompatibilities. Some older versions of drivers are not supported.

Connection paths

The Cloud SQL Connectors provide authorization for connections, but they don't provide new paths to connectivity. For example, in order to connect to a Cloud SQL instance using a Private IP address, your application must already have VPC access.

Debug connection issues

For additional help with connection issues, see the Troubleshoot and Debug connection issues pages.

What's next

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2026-03-23 UTC.