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Start building applications on top of YugabyteDB using your favorite programming language. YugabyteDB provides PostgreSQL-compatible YSQL and Cassandra-compatible YCQL APIs for seamless integration with your applications.

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Quick Start

Building applications with YugabyteDB is straightforward. Choose your preferred programming language and get started in minutes.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin:
  • YugabyteDB cluster: Set up a local cluster or create a free cluster on YugabyteDB Aeon
  • Programming language: Install your preferred language runtime (Java, Python, Node.js, etc.)
  • Driver: Install the appropriate database driver for your language

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Choose Your Language

YugabyteDB supports drivers and ORMs for all major programming languages:

Java

PostgreSQL JDBC driver and YugabyteDB Smart Driver

Python

Psycopg2, Psycopg3, and SQLAlchemy support

Node.js

node-postgres driver with full async/await support

Go

pgx and GORM for efficient Go applications

C#

Npgsql driver and Entity Framework support

Ruby

pg gem and Active Record ORM

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Basic Application Pattern

Here’s the typical workflow for building a YugabyteDB application:

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1. Connect to the Database

Establish a connection using your driver with connection parameters. 
import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;

String jdbcUrl = "jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5433/yugabyte";
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(
    jdbcUrl, 
    "yugabyte", 
    "yugabyte"
);

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2. Create Tables

Define your schema using standard SQL DDL statements. 
CREATE TABLE users (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    username TEXT NOT NULL,
    email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email);

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3. Insert Data

Add records to your tables using INSERT statements. 
String insertSQL = "INSERT INTO users (username, email) VALUES (?, ?)";
PreparedStatement pstmt = conn.prepareStatement(insertSQL);
pstmt.setString(1, "john_doe");
pstmt.setString(2, "[email protected]");
pstmt.executeUpdate();

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4. Query Data

Retrieve data using SELECT statements. 
String querySQL = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?";
PreparedStatement pstmt = conn.prepareStatement(querySQL);
pstmt.setString(1, "[email protected]");
ResultSet rs = pstmt.executeQuery();

while (rs.next()) {
    String username = rs.getString("username");
    System.out.println("User: " + username);
}

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5. Update and Delete

Modify existing data as needed. 
-- Update user information
UPDATE users SET username = 'jane_doe' WHERE email = '[email protected]';

-- Delete a user
DELETE FROM users WHERE email = '[email protected]';

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Connection String Format

YugabyteDB uses PostgreSQL-compatible connection strings for YSQL: 
jdbc:postgresql://hostname:port/database?user=username&password=password
postgresql://username:password@hostname:port/database
Common Parameters:
  • hostname: YugabyteDB server address (default: localhost)
  • port: YSQL port (default: 5433)
  • database: Database name (default: yugabyte)
  • user: Username (default: yugabyte)
  • password: User password (default: yugabyte)

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SSL/TLS Connections

For secure connections, especially in production: 
postgresql://username:password@hostname:port/database?ssl=true&sslmode=verify-full&sslrootcert=/path/to/root.crt

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Application Best Practices

Connection pooling reduces overhead and improves performance by reusing database connections.Recommended poolers:
  • Java: HikariCP
  • Python: SQLAlchemy pooling
  • Node.js: pg-pool
  • Built-in: YSQL Connection Manager
Implement retry logic for transient errors in distributed systems:
  • Connection timeouts
  • Temporary network failures
  • Transaction conflicts
Use exponential backoff for retries.
Prepared statements provide:
  • Protection against SQL injection
  • Better query performance
  • Efficient parameterized queries
  • Use primary keys wisely for data distribution
  • Leverage indexes for query performance
  • Consider data locality for multi-region deployments

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Sample Applications

YugabyteDB provides sample applications in multiple languages:
  • Java: JDBC examples with YugabyteDB
  • Python: Flask and Django applications
  • Node.js: Express.js REST APIs
  • Go: Microservices with pgx

View Sample Apps

Explore complete sample applications on GitHub

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Next Steps

Drivers & ORMs

Learn about supported drivers and ORMs

YSQL API

Explore the YSQL API reference

Best Practices

Follow development best practices

Tutorials

Step-by-step application tutorials

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Additional Resources

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