Connections

A connection tells DataTray how to reach one database server. Keep as many as you like, grouped into folders, and switch between them from the connection tree.

Adding a connection

Click New connection in the connection tree.
Pick the engine — the provider decides which fields you see.
Fill in host, port, database and credentials (or a file path for SQLite).
Test the connection, then Save. It appears in the tree, ready to expand.

Supported engines

Built in with the app:

SQL Server, MySQL / MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite — full SQL engines with schema browsing, DDL and (except SQLite) user management.

Installable as first-party plugins from the Plugin Store:

MongoDB, Redis, DragonflyDB, Elasticsearch — browse and query with each engine's native query language.

Any other engine can be added as a provider plugin.

Browsing the schema

Expand a connection to walk a lazy schema tree: server → database → schema → tables / views / routines, with indexes, foreign keys and triggers under each table. Everything loads on demand, so large servers stay responsive. System databases are hidden by default — turn on Show system databases in Settings to include them.

Reaching a database through an SSH tunnel

A database that only listens inside a private network doesn't need a hand-rolled ssh -L running next to DataTray. Switch on Connect through an SSH tunnel under Advanced and fill in the bastion's host and user, with either a password or a private key. The connection is then forwarded through it.

The tunnel opens on first use, is shared by every connection taking the same route, and closes when you disconnect or quit. If the bastion drops the session — sleep, a network change, a server-side idle timeout — the next use reconnects rather than handing back a dead port. Test goes through the tunnel too, so it can be checked before the connection is saved.

SSH passwords and key passphrases go in the OS keychain like every other secret, never in the connection file. Filling in the server's SHA256 host-key fingerprint pins it: a bastion presenting a different key is refused instead of trusted.

The section only appears for engines that connect to a host, and needs nothing from the provider — existing provider plugins gained tunnelling without a change or a rebuild.

Favorites

Right-click a connection › Add to favorites and it appears in a Favorites section pinned to the top of the sidebar, whatever folder it lives in. By default it stays visible in its own folder as well, since the section is a shortcut list rather than a move. Turning off Keep favorites in their folder too under Settings ▸ General makes a starred connection move to Favorites instead of showing twice.

Temporary connections — the ones an AI client creates over MCP — can't be starred, since they don't outlive the session.

Credentials & storage

Connection details are stored locally, and secrets (passwords) are kept in your operating system's secure credential store — never in plain text and never on any server. You can add an optional master password in Settings to encrypt stored secrets behind a single app password.

DataTray needs no account and talks to no server of ours — connections and credentials stay on your machine.

Editing or removing

Right-click a connection to edit, duplicate or remove it. The right-click menu also sets a connection's AI access level.