This guide will walk you through the process of creating a secure, read-only MySQL user specifically for connecting to the application.

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Why Create a Read-Only User?

Creating a dedicated read-only user ensures:
  1. Enhanced Security: Limits potential data manipulation risks.
  2. Data Integrity: Prevents accidental modifications to your database.
  3. Compliance: Adheres to the principle of least privilege.

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Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to create your MySQL read-only user:

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1. Create the Read-Only User

First, we’ll create a new user with a secure password: 
CREATE USER ‘readonly’@’%’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘your_secure_password’;
Replace ‘your_secure_password’ with a strong, unique password. Consider using a password manager to generate and store this securely.

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2. Grant Select Privileges

Next, we’ll grant the user SELECT privileges on all databases: 
GRANT SELECT ON . TO ‘readonly’@’%’;
This allows the user to read data from any table in any database, but not modify it.

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3. Grant Additional Necessary Privileges

For Visuo.AI to function correctly, we need to grant a few more privileges: 
GRANT SHOW VIEW, SHOW DATABASES ON . TO ‘readonly’@’%’;
These permissions allow the user to:
  • SHOW VIEW: See the structure of views
  • SHOW DATABASES: List available databases

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4. Apply the Changes

Finally, we need to apply these changes: 
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
This command reloads the privileges table, ensuring our new user and its permissions take effect immediately.

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Verifying the User Setup

To confirm that the user has been set up correctly:
  1. Log in to MySQL as the new read-only user: 
    mysql -u readonly -p
  2. Try to select data from a table: 
    SELECT * FROM database_name.table_name LIMIT 5;
  3. Attempt to modify data (this should fail): 
    INSERT INTO database_name.table_name (column1, column2) VALUES (‘test’,
‘data’);
If you can select data but not modify it, your read-only user is set up correctly!

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Connecting to Visuo.AI

When setting up your connection in Visuo.AI:
  1. Use the hostname of your MySQL server
  2. Enter ‘readonly’ as the username
  3. Use the secure password you set in step 1
  4. Specify the default database you want to analyze (if applicable)
For additional security, consider restricting the ‘readonly’ user to specific IP addresses if Visuo.AI connects from known IP ranges.

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Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:
  • Ensure the user has been created successfully
  • Verify that all necessary privileges have been granted
  • Check that you’re using the correct hostname, username, and password in Visuo.AI
  • Confirm that your MySQL server allows remote connections if Visuo.AI is hosted externally
For further assistance, consult your database administrator or the Visuo.AI support team. By following this guide, you’ve created a secure, read-only MySQL user that’s perfectly suited for connecting to Visuo.AI. This setup ensures that your data remains protected while allowing Visuo.AI to perform its analysis effectively.