Hostwares Database Package: How to Create, Connect and Manage Your Database A to Z
A website or application often needs a database to store important information such as users, products, orders, bookings, messages, and application data. Hostwares provides managed database hosting where you can create a database, choose the resources you need, get a connection string, and connect the database to your hosted application. Hostwares currently supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, and MongoDB. This guide explains the process from choosing a database to connecting it with your application and managing it later.
Step 1: Decide Which Database You Need
First, identify which database engine your application requires. Hostwares currently supports: PostgreSQL MySQL MariaDB Redis MongoDB Choose the database engine that matches your application's technology and requirements.
Step 2: Visit Hostwares
Go to the Hostwares website and open the Database section. From there, review the available database options and resource packs before creating your database.
Step 3: Choose Your Database Resource Pack
Hostwares uses resource-based pricing for databases. You choose the CPU, RAM, and SSD resources your database needs instead of selecting a traditional feature-bundled plan. For example, the available database packs currently include: Core Standard Full The right choice depends on your application's database workload, data size, and expected traffic. You can also resize your database later if your project grows.
Step 4: Create Your Database
After choosing your database requirements, start the database deployment. Select your preferred database engine and resource pack, then continue with the creation process. Hostwares provisions the database and generates the required credentials and connection information.
Step 5: Open Your Database Details
After the database has been created, open its details from your Hostwares dashboard. You can use the database management information available there to check the database status and access its connection details. Hostwares also provides controls for database management, including status information and restart options.
Step 6: Get Your Connection String
When the database is created, Hostwares generates a ready-to-use connection string. You can use this connection string to connect your application to the database. Keep your database credentials private. Do not publish passwords or private connection strings in public repositories.
Step 7: Connect Your Database to Your Website or Application
If your application is hosted on Hostwares, you can connect it to the database through your application's environment configuration. For a typical application, the connection information can be added as an environment variable such as: DATABASE_URL Hostwares documentation explains that the generated connection string can be added to the site's environment variables and the site can then be redeployed.
Step 8: Use Hostwares Private Networking
One of the advantages of the Hostwares database setup is private networking. Hostwares states that sites and databases in the same account can communicate through its private network, so the database does not need to be exposed to the public internet for normal application-to-database communication. This keeps the database connection separated from direct public access.
Step 9: Deploy or Redeploy Your Application
After adding the database connection information to your application, deploy or redeploy the application so it can use the new configuration. If your application is connected through GitHub, Hostwares can build and deploy the project from the repository.
Step 10: Test the Database Connection
Once the application is running, test the features that use the database. For example: Create a user account Submit a form Add a product Create an order Save application data Read existing information If the application can successfully save and retrieve data, your database connection is working correctly.
Step 11: Monitor Your Database
After deployment, you can continue managing the database through Hostwares. Hostwares provides database status information and logs, allowing you to check the state of your database and investigate issues when necessary.
Step 12: Backups and Data Protection
Database data can be important to your business or application. Hostwares lists automatic daily backups on its managed database offering, with additional backup capabilities depending on the resource pack. You should still follow good data-management practices and make sure your application handles important data responsibly.
Step 13: Connect a Custom Domain to Your Website
A database itself does not normally need a public website domain. Your custom domain is connected to your website or application, while the application communicates with the database in the background. For websites hosted with Hostwares, custom domains and SSL are available as part of the hosting setup.
Step 14: SSL for Your Website
If your database is being used by a website hosted on Hostwares, the website can use Hostwares' SSL support. Hostwares states that SSL is included with its hosting services and is automatically managed for supported website deployments. The database itself does not need to be exposed through your website's public domain.
Step 15: Resize Your Database When Needed
Your project may start small and grow over time. If you need more CPU, RAM, or SSD resources, Hostwares allows you to move to a larger resource pack. Hostwares states that upgrades can be made later and are prorated. This means you can start with resources appropriate for your current project and increase them when your requirements change.
Step 16: Manage Your Database After Launch
Once your application is live, database management becomes an ongoing part of running the project. You can monitor the database, review logs, manage its resources, restart it when necessary, and keep the application connection settings up to date. Your database and website can therefore remain part of the same Hostwares infrastructure. A Simple Hostwares Database Workflow The complete process is: Choose your database engine Choose your resource pack Create the database Open the database details Get the generated connection string Add the connection string to your application Deploy or redeploy your application Test the database connection Monitor the database Manage backups and data Connect your website domain separately Use SSL for your website Resize resources when your project grows Why Use Hostwares for Your Database? Managing a database separately from your application can make infrastructure more complicated. Hostwares brings website hosting and managed databases into the same platform. Your database gets dedicated CPU, RAM, and SSD resources, while your application can communicate with it through Hostwares' private network. You can also choose from multiple database engines and adjust resources as your project grows. Start Your Database With Hostwares Whether you are launching a small application, a business website, an online service, or a production project, a reliable database can be an important part of your infrastructure. With Hostwares, you can choose the database engine your application needs, select the resources that fit your workload, create the database, connect it to your application, and continue managing it from the same hosting platform. If your application needs a database, you can start with the resources that match your current requirements and scale the database as your project grows.