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Prerequisites

  • MySQL version ≥ 5.7
  • MySQL binlog enabled
  • A database user with sufficient privileges to configure the database and create users

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MySQL Setup

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1. Grant Database Access

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2. Configure Binary Logging

Binary logging records all changes to your database tables. The Connector relies on MySQL’s implementation of this.
If you are using a read replica, you must enable binary logging on the read replica.
  • In the Google Cloud console, go to the Cloud SQL Instances page.
  • Go to Cloud SQL Instances.
  • Open the more actions menu for the instance you want to enable point-in-time recovery on and click Edit.
  • Under Customize your instance, expand the Data Protection section.
  • Select the Enable point-in-time recovery checkbox.
  • Expand Advanced options.
  • Enter the number of days to retain logs, from 3-7. We recommend 7 days.
  • Click Save.

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3. Create Database User

It’s recommended to create a separate user and role for the Connector to access your MySQL database. Below is an example script that does that. 
-- Replace { ... } placeholders as required

-- Identify version
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'VERSION';

-- On MySQL version 5.6 to 8.0
CREATE USER 'streamkap_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '{password}';

-- On MySQL version 8.0+
CREATE USER 'streamkap_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY '{password}';

-- Grant Permissions
GRANT REPLICATION CLIENT, RELOAD, SHOW DATABASES, REPLICATION SLAVE ON *.* TO 'streamkap_user'@'%';

-- Grant Select on all schemas needed
GRANT SELECT ON {schema}.* TO 'streamkap_user';

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4. Enable Snapshots

To backfill your data, the Connector needs to be able to perform snapshots. See Snapshots & Backfilling for more information. This feature is available without any additional configuration because ‘GTID-based replication’ is enabled by default - and cannot be disabled - for MySQL Cloud SQL instances. See About replication in Cloud SQL for more information.

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5. Heartbeats

Heartbeats ensure the Connector stays active and continues capturing changes, which is especially important for low-traffic or intermittent databases. Connectors use “offsets”—like bookmarks—to track their position in the database’s log or change stream. When no changes occur for long periods, these offsets may become outdated, and the Connector might lose its place or stop capturing changes. There are two layers of heartbeat protection: Layer 1: Connector heartbeats (enabled by default) The Connector periodically emits heartbeat messages to an internal topic, even when no actual data changes are detected. This keeps offsets fresh and prevents staleness. No configuration is necessary for this layer; it is automatically enabled. Layer 2: Source database heartbeats (requires configuration) For read-write connections (when Read only is No during Streamkap Setup—if applicable), you can configure the Connector to update a dedicated heartbeat table in the source database at regular intervals. This simulates activity, ensuring change events are generated consistently, maintaining log progress and preventing staleness. It’s especially useful for databases like PostgreSQL, where lack of regular changes can cause the write-ahead log (WAL) to grow rapidly during inactivity. This layer requires you to set up a heartbeat table in your source database.

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Configure source database heartbeats

-- Create the streamkap schema
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS streamkap;

-- Switch to the streamkap schema
USE streamkap;

-- Create the heartbeat table with id, text, and last_update fields
CREATE TABLE streamkap_heartbeat (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    text TEXT,
    last_update TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

-- Grant permission to the Streamkap user
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON streamkap.streamkap_heartbeat TO STREAMKAP_USER;

-- Insert the first row into the heartbeat table
INSERT INTO streamkap_heartbeat (text) VALUES ('test_heartbeat');

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Streamkap Setup

Follow these steps to configure your new connector:

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1. Create the Source

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2. Connection Settings

  • Name: Enter a name for your connector.
  • Hostname: Specify the hostname.
  • Port: Default is 3306.
  • Connect via SSH Tunnel: The Connector will connect to an SSH server in your network which has access to your database. This is necessary if the Connector cannot connect directly to your database.
  • Username: Username to access the database. By default, Streamkap scripts use streamkap_user.
  • Password: Password to access the database.
  • Heartbeats: Crucial for low and intermittent traffic databases. Enabled by default.
  • Connection Timezone: The timezone of your database.
Timezone conversionMySQL converts TIMESTAMP values from the current time zone to UTC for storage, and back from UTC to the current time zone for retrieval. By default, the current time zone for each connection is the database server’s time zone but this option allows you to override that.As long as the time zones remain the same, you get back the same value you store.We recommend using the default SERVER option which attempts to detect the session time zone from the values configured on the MySQL server session variables ‘time_zone’ or ‘system_time_zone’. It also reduces the chance of problems with daylight savings adjustment ‘fall back’ and ‘spring forward’.If either time zones change, an ad-hoc snapshot is recommended so your source and destination timestamps are consistent.

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3. Advanced Parameters

  • Represent binary data as: Specifies how the data for binary columns e.g. blob, binary, varbinary should be interpreted. Your destination for this data can impact which option you choose. Default is bytes.
  • Capture Only Captured Databases DDL: Specifies whether the connector records schema structures from all databases defined in the server (the default) or only those databases for which you’ve explicitly configured the connector. Specify true to capture schema history only for the specific databases you’ve configured. This is particularly valuable when databases are large, to reduce the volume of DDL stored in the schema history topic. It also improves startup times when the connector restarts or recovers from failures. Default is false. See Schema History Optimization for details.
  • Capture Only Captured Tables DDL: Specifies whether the connector records the schema structure for all tables in the configured databases (the default) or only the tables whose changes the connector captures. Specify true to capture schema history only for the specific tables you’ve configured. This is particularly valuable when tables are large, to reduce the volume of DDL statements stored in the schema history topic. It also improves startup times when the connector restarts or recovers from failures. Default is false. See Schema History Optimization for details.
Click Next.

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4. Schema and Table Capture

  • Add Schemas/Tables: Specify the schema(s) and table(s) for capture.
    • You can bulk upload here. The format is a simple list of schemas and tables, with each entry on a new row. Save as a .csv file without a header.
CDC only captures base tables, not ViewsChange Data Capture reads the MySQL binary log (binlog), which only records changes to physical tables. Database Views are query-time computations with no physical storage—they don’t generate binlog entries.What you cannot capture: Views, temporary tables, MEMORY tables, BLACKHOLE tables, or system tables (information_schema, performance_schema).Solution: Specify only the underlying base tables that feed your views. You can recreate the view logic in your destination or transformation layer.
Click Save.
Have questions? See the MySQL Source FAQ for answers to common questions about MySQL sources, troubleshooting, and best practices.