MySQL connection with mysql2 in Node.js - Mini Project: Build & Apply

MySQL connection with mysql2

📖 Scenario: You are building a Node.js application that needs to connect to a MySQL database to store and retrieve user data.

🎯 Goal: Create a Node.js script that connects to a MySQL database using the mysql2 library.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a connection configuration object with host, user, password, and database

Use the mysql2 library to create a connection

Connect to the database using the connection object

Close the connection properly after connecting

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Connecting to a MySQL database is essential for many web applications to store and retrieve data.

💼 Career

Understanding how to connect to databases using Node.js and mysql2 is a common requirement for backend developers.

1

Create the connection configuration object

Create a constant called config that is an object with these exact properties and values: host: 'localhost', user: 'root', password: 'password123', and database: 'testdb'.

Node.js

# Create the connection configuration object
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use an object literal with the exact keys and values for the database connection.

2

Import the mysql2 library and create a connection

Add a line to import mysql2 using import mysql from 'mysql2/promise'. Then create a constant called connection by calling await mysql.createConnection(config).

Node.js

const config = {
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'root',
  password: 'password123',
  database: 'testdb'
};

// Import mysql2 and create connection
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use ES module import syntax and the promise version of mysql2. Use await to create the connection.

3

Connect to the database and check connection

Add a try block where you await connection.connect() to establish the connection. Add a catch block to catch errors and throw them.

Node.js

import mysql from 'mysql2/promise';

const config = {
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'root',
  password: 'password123',
  database: 'testdb'
};

const connection = await mysql.createConnection(config);

// Connect to the database with try/catch
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use a try/catch block to handle connection errors properly.

4

Close the database connection

Add a line to close the connection by calling await connection.end() after the try/catch block.

Node.js

import mysql from 'mysql2/promise';

const config = {
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'root',
  password: 'password123',
  database: 'testdb'
};

const connection = await mysql.createConnection(config);

try {
  await connection.connect();
} catch (error) {
  throw error;
}

// Close the connection
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Call connection.end() with await to close the connection cleanly.