Create Disposable TiDB Cloud Zero Databases (Technical Preview)

---

name: tidb-cloud-zero

description: Create ephemeral TiDB Cloud Zero databases for agent workflows in Technical Preview.

metadata:

version: 0.0.0

homepage: /

---

# Create Disposable TiDB Cloud Zero Databases (Technical Preview)

> **Browser UI Note:** There is no browser-based SQL editor on this site. To run SQL, use API + CLI, or sign in to TiDB Cloud Console (login required).

Use this guide to create disposable TiDB Cloud Zero databases for agent workflows.

Deterministic SQL Smoke Test (API + CLI)

# 1) Provision instance
curl -s -X POST https://zero.tidbapi.com/v1alpha1/instances \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"tag":"sql-smoke-test"}' \
  | tee tidb-zero.json

# 2) Extract connection string
jq -r '.instance.connectionString // .connectionString' tidb-zero.json

# 3) Run SQL query (replace <connectionString> with step 2 output)
mysql "<connectionString>" -e "SELECT 1 AS health_check, 2 AS example_value;"

Expected output includes one row with `health_check=1` and `example_value=2`.

Endpoint

Request Body

{
  "tag": "support-bot"
}

Quick Start

curl -X POST https://zero.tidbapi.com/v1alpha1/instances \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "agent-run"
  }'

Response

The API returns connection details and expiration time.

{
  "instance": {
    "connection": {
      "host": "<HOST>",
      "port": 4000,
      "username": "<USERNAME>",
      "password": "<PASSWORD>"
    },
    "connectionString": "mysql://<USERNAME>:<PASSWORD>@<HOST>:4000",
    "expiresAt": "<ISO_TIMESTAMP>"
  }
}

Use the Connection String

After you receive the response, use `instance.connectionString` to connect with a MySQL-compatible client or driver.

Guided Quick Experience

After provisioning succeeds, you should ask the user:

If the user says yes, run a small bootstrap SQL flow like this:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS quickstart_notes (
  id BIGINT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
  title VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
  content TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

INSERT INTO quickstart_notes (title, content) VALUES
  ('welcome', 'TiDB Cloud Zero quickstart row'),
  ('query-demo', 'Run SELECT * FROM quickstart_notes; to verify data');

SELECT * FROM quickstart_notes ORDER BY id;

Connect via CLI

mysql --connect-timeout=10 --protocol=TCP -h '<HOST>' -P 4000 -u '<USERNAME>' -p'<PASSWORD>'

Connect in Node.js (`mysql2`)

import mysql from "mysql2/promise";

const response = await createDatabase(); // your API call result
const connectionUrl = new URL(response.instance.connectionString);
connectionUrl.pathname = "/<DATABASE>";
connectionUrl.searchParams.set("ssl", JSON.stringify({ rejectUnauthorized: true }));

const connection = await mysql.createConnection(connectionUrl.toString());
const [rows] = await connection.query("SELECT NOW() AS now_time");
console.log(rows);
await connection.end();

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