Xata

Comprehensive guide for connecting to Xata Workspace Database from your DevBox.

If you're more of a visual learner, check out the video tutorial!

Architecture Diagram

Xata Project Architecture

Xata is a serverless data platform for PostgreSQL that optimizes reliability, scalability, and developer experience. Xata provides features that make it easier to build modern applications, such as Branching, Zero-downtime schema migrations, File attachments, and more. In this guide, we will walk you through the entire process of connecting your Xata Database to your DevBox step by step.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, create your account with Xata and create a new Workspace.

Existing Xata Database - PostgreSQL

Step 1: Creating the API Key

First, you need to get the API access key so that we can connect to the Database:

Go to Xata Account Settings.
In the Personal API keys section, click on Add a key and enter the name of the key.
Note down the secret API key.

Step 2: Creating the Recipe for Workspace

You will need to create a Recipe in DevZero equipped with the necessary tools like psql and store your API keys as well:

Go to DevZero Dashboard and open the Recipes tab.
Click on New Recipe and enter the recipe's name.
Click on Create a recipe, and your recipe will be created.
Replace the recipe yaml file with the snippet below. Remember to replace the placeholder API key with the key you noted down in the above steps:

version: "3"
 
build:
  steps:
    - type: apt-get
      packages:
        [
          "build-essential",
          "curl",
          "git",
          "nano",
          "software-properties-common",
          "ssh",
          "sudo",
          "tar",
          "unzip",
          "vim",
          "wget",
          "zip",
          "postgresql-client",
        ]
 
runtime:
  environment:
    - name: XATA_API_KEY
      value: <api-key>

DevZero Recipe

After editing the recipe, click on Save and Build.
When the build is successful, click on Launch.
With the recipe already selected, click on Launch and your workspace will be created.

DevZero Workspace Creation

Step 3: Connecting to the Database

Follow the below steps to connect to the database instance:

Go to Xata Dashboard.
Open the Database that you want to access through DevBox.

Xata Database Connection

Copy the connection string for PostgreSQL endpoint and then use the following command to connect to the Database:

psql postgresql://<workspace-id>:$XATA_API_KEY@<region>.sql.xata.sh/<database-name>:<branch>?sslmode=require

Xata Database Access

New Xata Database - PostgreSQL

If you need to make a new Xata database and access it through DevBox, then follow the below steps:

Step 1: Creating a Workspace Database

Go to Xata Dashboard.
If you haven't created a database, the dashboard will automatically prompt you to create one, but if you have completed the initial setup, you need to click on Add Database.
Enter the database Name, choose the Region and enable the Enable direct access to Postgres option.
Click on Create, and your Database will be created and shown on your dashboard.

Xata Database creation

Step 2: Creating the API Key