Integrating Uthos Managed MySQL with a Flask Application

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

• A Flask application.
• A Uthos account and a provisioned MySQL database.
• MySQL client installed on your local machine.
• Python 3 and pip installed.
• Basic knowledge of Flask and SQLAlchemy (or any ORM you choose).

Step 1: Configure the Uthos Managed MySQL Database

1. Access the Uthos Console: Log in to your Uthos account.
2. Create a MySQL Database: Navigate to the Managed Databases section and provision a new MySQL instance.
3. Obtain Connection Details: Note down the hostname, port, username, and password for the database instance. These details will be required to connect your Flask app.
4. Allow IP Whitelisting: Ensure that your development machine’s IP address is whitelisted to access the database.

Step 2: Install Required Python Packages

Install the necessary Python packages for MySQL and Flask:

pip install Flask flask-sqlalchemy mysql-connector-python

Step 3: Configure Flask Application

Update your Flask application to include the database configuration. Use the connection details obtained from Uthos.

Example Code

from flask import Flask
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

app = Flask(__name__)

# Replace the placeholders with your Uthos MySQL credentials
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = (
    'mysql+mysqlconnector://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<database>'
)
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_TRACK_MODIFICATIONS'] = False

db = SQLAlchemy(app)

# Example model
class User(db.Model):
    id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True)
    name = db.Column(db.String(80), nullable=False)
    email = db.Column(db.String(120), unique=True, nullable=False)

@app.route('/')
def index():
    return "Hello, Uthos!"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Step 4: Test the Connection

1. Run the Flask application:

python app.py

2. Open your browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:5000/ to ensure the app is running.
3. Use the Flask shell to test database connectivity:

flask shell
>>> from app import db
>>> db.create_all()  # Creates the tables defined in your models

Step 5: Deploying Your Flask App

When deploying your Flask application to a server, ensure the server’s IP address is whitelisted in the Uthos database settings. Additionally, use environment variables to securely store your database credentials.

Example Using Environment Variables

Update the Flask app configuration:

import os

app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = (
    f"mysql+mysqlconnector://{os.getenv('DB_USER')}:{os.getenv('DB_PASSWORD')}@"
    f"{os.getenv('DB_HOST')}:{os.getenv('DB_PORT')}/{os.getenv('DB_NAME')}"
)

Set the environment variables in your deployment environment:

export DB_USER=<username>
export DB_PASSWORD=<password>
export DB_HOST=<host>
export DB_PORT=<port>
export DB_NAME=<database>

Step 6: Monitoring and Maintenance

• Monitor Database Performance: Use the Uthos console to monitor database metrics.
• Automated Backups: Enable automated backups in the Uthos database settings for data safety.
• Scaling: Upgrade your database instance from the Uthos console as your application grows.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully integrate a Uthos Managed MySQL database with your Flask application. This setup ensures a robust and scalable backend for your application.