How do I connect Node.js to MySQL using connection strings?

How do I connect Node.js to MySQL using connection strings?

To connect Node.js to MySQL, you can use the mysql package. First, install it using npm: npm install mysql. Then, you can create a connection using a connection string.

Can you show me an example of a connection string?

Sure! A typical connection string looks like this: mysql://user:password@host:port/database. Replace user, password, host, port, and database with your actual database credentials.

What if I want to use environment variables for my credentials?

That's a great practice! You can use the dotenv package to load environment variables from a .env file. Your connection string would then look like this: mysql://${process.env.DB_USER}:${process.env.DB_PASS}@${process.env.DB_HOST}:${process.env.DB_PORT}/${process.env.DB_NAME}.

How do I handle connection errors?

You can handle connection errors by using a try-catch block or by listening to the 'error' event on the connection object. This way, you can log the error or take appropriate action.