SKILL.md
Cloud SQL Basics
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL,
and SQL Server. It automates time-consuming tasks like patches, updates,
backups, and replicas, while providing high performance and availability for
your applications.
Prerequisites
Ensure you have the necessary IAM permissions to create and manage Cloud SQL
instances. The Cloud SQL Admin (roles/cloudsql.admin) role provides full
access to Cloud SQL resources.
Quick Start (PostgreSQL)
- Enable the API:
gcloud services enable sqladmin.googleapis.com --quiet
-
Create an Instance:
gcloud sql instances create INSTANCE_NAME \
--database-version=POSTGRES_18 \
--cpu=2 \
--memory=7680MiB \
--region=REGION \
--quiet
-
Set a password for the default user:
Because this is a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance, the default admin user
is postgres:
gcloud sql users set-password postgres \
--instance=INSTANCE_NAME --password=PASSWORD \
--quiet
-
Create a database:
gcloud sql databases create DATABASE_NAME \
--instance=INSTANCE_NAME \
--quiet
-
Get the instance connection name:
You need the instance connection name (which is formatted as
PROJECT_ID:REGION:INSTANCE_NAME) to connect using the Cloud SQL Auth
Proxy. Retrieve it with the following command:
gcloud sql instances describe INSTANCE_NAME \
--format="value(connectionName)" \
--quiet
-
Connect to the instance:
The Cloud SQL Auth Proxy must be running to be able to connect to the
instance. In a separate terminal, start the proxy using the connection name:
./cloud-sql-proxy INSTANCE_CONNECTION_NAME
With the proxy running, connect using psql in another terminal:
psql "host=127.0.0.1 port=5432 user=postgres dbname=DATABASE_NAME password=PASSWORD sslmode=disable"
Reference Directory
-
Core Concepts: Instance architecture, high
availability (HA), and supported database engines.
-
CLI Usage: Essential gcloud sql commands for
instance, database, and user management.
-
Client Libraries & Connectors:
Connecting to Cloud SQL using Python, Java, Node.js, and Go.
-
MCP Usage: Using the Cloud SQL remote MCP
server and Gemini CLI extension.
-
Infrastructure as Code: Terraform
configuration for instances, databases, and users.
-
IAM & Security: Predefined roles, SSL/TLS
certificates, and Auth Proxy configuration.
If you need product information not found in these references, use the
Developer Knowledge MCP server search_documents tool.