In computing, a connection string is a
string that specifies information about a data source and the means of connecting to it. It is passed in code to an underlying
driver or provider in order to initiate the connection. Whilst commonly used for a
database connection A database connection is a facility in computer science that allows client software to talk to database server software, whether on the same machine or not. A connection is required to send commands and receive answers, usually in the form of a r ...
, the data source could also be a
spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in c ...
or text file.
The connection string may include attributes such as the name of the driver,
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
and
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases s ...
, as well as security information such as user name and password.
Examples
This example shows a
Postgres
PostgreSQL (, ), also known as Postgres, is a free and open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) emphasizing extensibility and SQL compliance. It was originally named POSTGRES, referring to its origins as a successor to the ...
connection string for connecting to wikipedia.com with SSL and a connection timeout of 180 seconds:
DRIVER=;SERVER=www.wikipedia.com;SSL=true;SSLMode=require;DATABASE=wiki;UID=wikiuser;Connect Timeout=180;PWD=ashiknoor
Users of
Oracle databases can specify connection strings:
* on the
command-line
A command-line interpreter or command-line processor uses a command-line interface (CLI) to receive commands from a user in the form of lines of text. This provides a means of setting parameters for the environment, invoking executables and pro ...
(as in:
sqlplus scott/tiger@connection_string )
* via
environment variable
An environment variable is a dynamic-named value that can affect the way running processes will behave on a computer. They are part of the environment in which a process runs. For example, a running process can query the value of the TEMP envi ...
s (
$TWO_TASK in Unix-like environments;
%TWO_TASK% in Microsoft Windows environments)
[
]
* in local
configuration file
In computing, configuration files (commonly known simply as config files) are files used to configure the parameters and initial settings for some computer programs. They are used for user applications, server processes and operating system ...
s (such as the default
$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin.tnsnames.ora)
[
]
* in
LDAP
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP ) is an open, vendor-neutral, industry standard application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. Directory servi ...
-capable
directory service
In computing, a directory service or name service maps the names of network resources to their respective network addresses. It is a shared information infrastructure for locating, managing, administering and organizing everyday items and network ...
s
References
External links
*
Databases
SQL data access
String (computer science)
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