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Applications connect to and interact with YugabyteDB using API client libraries (also known as drivers). YugabyteDB supports both PostgreSQL-compatible drivers for YSQL and Cassandra-compatible drivers for YCQL.

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Driver Types

YugabyteDB supports two types of drivers:

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Standard PostgreSQL Drivers

Because YugabyteDB YSQL is PostgreSQL-compatible, you can use standard PostgreSQL drivers to connect and work with YugabyteDB. These drivers provide full compatibility with PostgreSQL applications.

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YugabyteDB Smart Drivers

Smart drivers extend the upstream PostgreSQL drivers with cluster-aware capabilities:
  • Load balancing: Distribute connections across cluster nodes
  • Topology awareness: Connect to geographically closest nodes
  • Automatic failover: Handle node failures transparently
  • Connection pooling: Efficient connection management
For production deployments, we recommend using YugabyteDB Smart Drivers for optimal performance and resilience.

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Supported Drivers by Language

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Java

YugabyteDB provides comprehensive Java driver support:

YugabyteDB JDBC Smart Driver

Recommended for production
  • Cluster-aware load balancing
  • Topology-aware connection routing
  • Built on PostgreSQL JDBC driver
<dependency>
  <groupId>com.yugabyte</groupId>
  <artifactId>jdbc-yugabytedb</artifactId>
  <version>42.3.5-yb-5</version>
</dependency>

PostgreSQL JDBC Driver

Standard PostgreSQL driver
<dependency>
  <groupId>org.postgresql</groupId>
  <artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
  <version>42.2.14</version>
</dependency>
Connection Example: 
import com.yugabyte.ysql.YBClusterAwareDataSource;

YBClusterAwareDataSource ds = new YBClusterAwareDataSource();
ds.setUrl("jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5433/yugabyte");
ds.setUser("yugabyte");
ds.setPassword("yugabyte");

Connection conn = ds.getConnection();
ORMs:
  • Hibernate: Full JPA support
  • MyBatis: SQL mapping framework
  • Ebean: Simplicity and performance
  • Spring Data JPA: Spring integration

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Python

Python developers can use Psycopg2, Psycopg3, or the YugabyteDB smart driver.

Yugabyte Psycopg2

Recommended for production
pip install yugabyte-psycopg2

PostgreSQL Psycopg2

Standard PostgreSQL adapter
pip install psycopg2-binary
Connection Example: 
import psycopg2

conn = psycopg2.connect(
    host="localhost",
    port=5433,
    database="yugabyte",
    user="yugabyte",
    password="yugabyte"
)

cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT version()")
print(cursor.fetchone())
ORMs:
  • SQLAlchemy: Popular Python ORM
  • Django ORM: Built-in Django support

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Node.js

Node.js applications use the node-postgres (pg) driver. 
npm install pg
Connection Example: 
const { Client } = require('pg');

const client = new Client({
  host: 'localhost',
  port: 5433,
  database: 'yugabyte',
  user: 'yugabyte',
  password: 'yugabyte'
});

await client.connect();

const res = await client.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1', [1]);
console.log(res.rows[0]);

await client.end();
ORMs:
  • Prisma: Modern ORM with type safety
  • Sequelize: Feature-rich ORM
  • TypeORM: TypeScript-first ORM

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Go

Go applications can use pgx or the standard database/sql interface. 
go get github.com/lib/pq
go get github.com/jackc/pgx/v5
Connection Example: 
import (
    "database/sql"
    _ "github.com/lib/pq"
)

connStr := "host=localhost port=5433 user=yugabyte password=yugabyte dbname=yugabyte sslmode=disable"
db, err := sql.Open("postgres", connStr)
if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
}
defer db.Close()

rows, err := db.Query("SELECT id, username FROM users")
if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
}
defer rows.Close()
ORMs:
  • GORM: Feature-rich ORM
  • sqlx: Extensions to database/sql

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C# / .NET

Use Npgsql driver for .NET applications. 
dotnet add package Npgsql
Connection Example: 
using Npgsql;

string connString = "Host=localhost;Port=5433;Username=yugabyte;Password=yugabyte;Database=yugabyte";

using (var conn = new NpgsqlConnection(connString))
{
    conn.Open();
    
    using (var cmd = new NpgsqlCommand("SELECT username FROM users WHERE id = @id", conn))
    {
        cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("id", 1);
        var username = cmd.ExecuteScalar();
        Console.WriteLine(username);
    }
}
ORMs:
  • Entity Framework Core: Microsoft’s ORM
  • Dapper: Micro-ORM for .NET

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Ruby

Use the pg gem for Ruby applications. 
gem install pg
Connection Example: 
require 'pg'

conn = PG.connect(
  host: 'localhost',
  port: 5433,
  dbname: 'yugabyte',
  user: 'yugabyte',
  password: 'yugabyte'
)

result = conn.exec('SELECT * FROM users')
result.each do |row|
  puts row['username']
end

conn.close
ORMs:
  • Active Record: Rails default ORM

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YCQL Drivers (Cassandra Compatible)

For applications using YCQL (Cassandra-compatible API):

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Java

<dependency>
  <groupId>com.yugabyte</groupId>
  <artifactId>cassandra-driver-core</artifactId>
  <version>3.10.3-yb-2</version>
</dependency>

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Python

pip install yb-cassandra-driver

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Node.js

npm install cassandra-driver

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Connection Pooling

Connection pooling is essential for production applications: 
HikariConfig config = new HikariConfig();
config.setJdbcUrl("jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5433/yugabyte");
config.setUsername("yugabyte");
config.setPassword("yugabyte");
config.setMaximumPoolSize(10);

HikariDataSource ds = new HikariDataSource(config);

from sqlalchemy import create_engine

engine = create_engine(
    'postgresql://yugabyte:yugabyte@localhost:5433/yugabyte',
    pool_size=10,
    max_overflow=20
)

const { Pool } = require('pg');

const pool = new Pool({
  max: 20,
  idleTimeoutMillis: 30000,
  connectionTimeoutMillis: 2000,
});
YugabyteDB includes a built-in connection pooler that provides connection pooling without external dependencies.Enable it on the server side for automatic connection management.

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SSL/TLS Configuration

For secure connections in production: 
String url = "jdbc:postgresql://hostname:5433/yugabyte" +
             "?ssl=true&sslmode=verify-full" +
             "&sslrootcert=/path/to/root.crt";
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, password);

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Next Steps

Build Apps

Start building your first application

Best Practices

Follow driver best practices

Smart Drivers

Learn about smart driver features

Connection Manager

Use built-in connection pooling

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