---
title: "Connection Troubleshooting - Documentation"
description: "Diagnose and fix common connection issues including timeouts, SSL errors, permission denied, and firewall blocks."
canonical: "https://www.aifordatabase.com/docs/connection-troubleshooting/"
---

# Connection Troubleshooting

intermediate 5 min read

## Connection Troubleshooting

This page covers the most common connection issues and how to resolve them.

### Connection Timed Out

**Cause**: AI for Database cannot reach your database server on the network.

**Fixes**:

*   Verify the host and port are correct.
*   Check firewall rules and security groups. Ensure the AI for Database IP range is allowed. Find your IP ranges in **Settings > Connection Info**.
*   If the database is in a private network, set up an SSH tunnel.
*   For cloud databases (RDS, Cloud SQL, Atlas), check the network access or authorized network settings.

### Authentication Failed

**Cause**: The username or password is incorrect, or the user does not have permission to connect.

**Fixes**:

*   Double-check the credentials. Passwords are case-sensitive.
*   Verify the user exists: connect to the database directly using the same credentials.
*   For PostgreSQL, check `pg_hba.conf` to ensure the authentication method matches (e.g., `md5` vs `scram-sha-256`).
*   For MySQL, ensure the user's host restriction matches the connecting IP.

### SSL / TLS Errors

**Cause**: The database requires SSL but the certificate is missing or invalid.

**Fixes**:

*   Set SSL Mode to `require` instead of `verify-full` as a first step.
*   Upload the CA certificate provided by your cloud provider.
*   For self-signed certificates, upload the server's CA certificate in the Advanced section.
*   Ensure the certificate has not expired.

### Permission Denied for Table

**Cause**: The database user does not have SELECT access on the table.

**Fixes**:

*   Run the appropriate `GRANT SELECT` statement for your database type.
*   For PostgreSQL, also run `ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES` to cover future tables.
*   For SQL Server, ensure the user is in the `db_datareader` role.

### Connection Drops After a Few Minutes

**Cause**: Idle connections are being terminated by a firewall, load balancer, or database setting.

**Fixes**:

*   Enable connection keep-alive in the Advanced settings.
*   Check your database's idle timeout setting (e.g., `idle_in_transaction_session_timeout` in PostgreSQL).
*   If using a cloud load balancer, increase the idle timeout.

### Still Stuck?

Contact support at [hello@aifordatabase.com](mailto:hello@aifordatabase.com) with your connection type, error message, and any relevant logs. We typically respond within a few hours.

Source: https://www.aifordatabase.com/docs/connection-troubleshooting/