How to Create Connection Using CLI in Airflow

Use the airflow connections add command to create a new connection in Airflow via CLI. Specify the connection ID, connection type, and other parameters like host, login, and password in the command.

Syntax

The basic syntax to create a connection using Airflow CLI is:

• airflow connections add <CONN_ID>: The unique identifier for your connection.
• --conn-uri <CONN_URI>: The full connection URI string that includes type, login, password, host, port, and schema.
• Alternatively, use individual flags like --conn-type, --conn-host, --conn-login, --conn-password, --conn-port, and --conn-schema to specify connection details.

bash

airflow connections add <CONN_ID> --conn-uri <CONN_URI>

# Or using individual parameters
airflow connections add <CONN_ID> \
  --conn-type <TYPE> \
  --conn-host <HOST> \
  --conn-login <LOGIN> \
  --conn-password <PASSWORD> \
  --conn-port <PORT> \
  --conn-schema <SCHEMA>

Example

This example creates a PostgreSQL connection named my_postgres with host, login, password, port, and schema specified using individual flags.

bash

airflow connections add my_postgres \
  --conn-type postgres \
  --conn-host localhost \
  --conn-login airflow_user \
  --conn-password airflow_pass \
  --conn-port 5432 \
  --conn-schema public

Output

Successfully added connection "my_postgres"

Common Pitfalls

• Forgetting to specify a unique CONN_ID causes errors or overwrites existing connections.
• Using incorrect connection URI format leads to parsing errors.
• Not restarting Airflow webserver or scheduler after adding connections may cause them not to appear immediately.
• Missing required parameters like --conn-type or --conn-host results in incomplete connections.

bash

Wrong way (missing conn-type):
airflow connections add my_conn --conn-host localhost

Right way:
airflow connections add my_conn --conn-type http --conn-host localhost

Quick Reference

Flag	Description	Example
--conn-uri	Full connection URI string	postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/dbname
--conn-type	Type of connection (e.g., postgres, mysql)	postgres
--conn-host	Hostname or IP address	localhost
--conn-login	Username for connection	airflow_user
--conn-password	Password for connection	airflow_pass
--conn-port	Port number	5432
--conn-schema	Database schema or name	public

Key Takeaways

Use 'airflow connections add' with either --conn-uri or individual flags to create connections via CLI.

Always provide a unique connection ID to avoid conflicts.

Verify connection details carefully to prevent errors.

Restart Airflow services if new connections do not appear immediately.

Use the quick reference table to remember common flags and their purposes.