Cardinal Desktop Application
Connectors
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL

Connect Cardinal Desktop Application to PostgreSQL databases, including Amazon RDS and Google Cloud SQL.

Connection Details

FieldDescription
HostDatabase hostname or IP address
PortPostgreSQL port (default: 5432)
UserDatabase username
PasswordDatabase password
SSL ModeConnection security (see SSL modes below)

Amazon RDS

Prerequisites

  • An RDS PostgreSQL instance
  • A database user with read access to the schemas you want to query
  • Network access from your machine to the RDS instance

Finding Your Connection Details

  1. Go to the RDS Console (opens in a new tab)
  2. Select your PostgreSQL instance
  3. Copy the Endpoint from the Connectivity & security tab — this is your Host
  4. The default Port is 5432

Network Configuration

Your RDS instance must be accessible from your machine. Either:

  • Public access: Enable "Publicly accessible" in RDS and add your IP to the security group
  • VPN/Bastion: Connect through your existing VPN or bastion host

Update the security group inbound rules to allow TCP port 5432 from your IP address.

Google Cloud SQL

Prerequisites

  • A Cloud SQL PostgreSQL instance
  • A database user with read access to the schemas you want to query
  • Network access from your machine to the Cloud SQL instance

Finding Your Connection Details

  1. Go to the Cloud SQL Console (opens in a new tab)
  2. Select your PostgreSQL instance
  3. Copy the Public IP address or Private IP address — this is your Host
  4. The default Port is 5432

Network Configuration

Choose one of these options to connect:

Option 1: Public IP with Authorized Networks

  1. In Cloud SQL, go to Connections → Networking
  2. Enable Public IP if not already enabled
  3. Under Authorized networks, add your IP address

Option 2: Cloud SQL Auth Proxy

For private instances or enhanced security, use the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy (opens in a new tab):

# Install the proxy
curl -o cloud-sql-proxy https://storage.googleapis.com/cloud-sql-connectors/cloud-sql-proxy/v2.14.3/cloud-sql-proxy.linux.amd64
chmod +x cloud-sql-proxy
 
# Connect (replace with your instance connection name)
./cloud-sql-proxy PROJECT_ID:REGION:INSTANCE_NAME

Then connect to localhost:5432 in Cardinal Desktop Application.

SSL Modes

ModeDescription
disableNo SSL connection
allowTry non-SSL first, use SSL if server requires it
preferTry SSL first, fall back to non-SSL (default for most clients)
requireRequire SSL, don't verify server certificate
verify-caRequire SSL and verify server certificate against CA
verify-fullRequire SSL, verify certificate, and verify hostname matches

Recommendations:

  • Amazon RDS: Use require (RDS handles certificates automatically)
  • Cloud SQL: Use require (SSL enforced by default)
  • Self-hosted: Use verify-full with proper CA certificates for production

Setup Wizard

Once you have your connection details:

  1. In Cardinal Desktop Application, go to Datasources and click Add Datasource
  2. Select PostgreSQL
  3. Enter your connection details and click Next
  4. Select the Database you want to connect to
  5. Select the Schemas to include
  6. Select the Tables to expose to your AI agent
  7. Review and save the configuration

Your AI agent can now query the selected tables and answer questions about your data.

Learn more about Agents to see how to use this connector with your AI-powered assistants.

Understand the assets and product features →

Reach out to support@cardinalhq.io for support or to ask questions not answered in our documentation.

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