How to Configure TiDB in Struts

August 12, 2025

Struts is a lightweight Java web framework, perfect for building traditional apps—and now, with TiDB, you can easily layer in a distributed SQL database that's both scalable and MySQL-compatible. In this guide, we’ll focus only on setting up TiDB in Struts: using Docker for development and Kubernetes for production, keeping dependencies simple, configurations clean, and your environments separated.

1. Add Dependencies in `pom.xml`

Make sure you include the necessary libraries:

<dependencies>
  <!-- Struts framework -->
  <dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.struts</groupId>
    <artifactId>struts2-core</artifactId>
    <version>${struts.version}</version>
  </dependency>

  <!-- MySQL-compatible JDBC driver -->
  <dependency>
    <groupId>mysql</groupId>
    <artifactId>mysql-connector-java</artifactId>
    <version>${mysql.version}</version>
  </dependency>

  <!-- Kubernetes client (optional) -->
  <dependency>
    <groupId>io.fabric8</groupId>
    <artifactId>kubernetes-client</artifactId>
    <version>${fabric8.version}</version>
  </dependency>
</dependencies>

TiDB speaks the MySQL protocol, so you use the MySQL driver. With Kubernetes support, you can easily deploy safely in production.

2. Run TiDB Locally with Docker

Use Docker to spin up a local TiDB cluster:

version: '3'
services:
  pd:
    image: pingcap/pd:v6.6.0
    ports:
      - "2379:2379"
  tikv:
    image: pingcap/tikv:v6.6.0
  tidb:
    image: pingcap/tidb:v6.6.0
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"
    depends_on:
      - pd
      - tikv

Start it:

docker-compose up -d

Once up, TiDB listens on localhost:4000, ready for development.

3. Create Dev Config: `tidb-dev.properties`

Add this file under src/main/resources:

db.driver=com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver
db.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:4000/testdb?useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC
db.user=root
db.password=
db.validationQuery=SELECT 1

Load these values into your Struts helper:

Properties props = new Properties();
props.load(getClass().getResourceAsStream("/tidb-dev.properties"));

Class.forName(props.getProperty("db.driver"));
try (Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(
        props.getProperty("db.url"),
        props.getProperty("db.user"),
        props.getProperty("db.password"));
     Statement stmt = conn.createStatement()) {
  stmt.executeQuery(props.getProperty("db.validationQuery"));
}

You're now connected to your local TiDB instance.

4. Prepare Kubernetes Config for Production

Keep sensitive values out of code by creating ConfigMaps and Secrets:

kubectl create configmap tidb-config \
  --from-literal=DB_URL=jdbc:mysql://tidb-service:4000/proddb?useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC \
  --from-literal=DB_DRIVER=com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver \
  --from-literal=DB_VALIDATION_QUERY=SELECT 1

kubectl create secret generic tidb-secret \
  --from-literal=DB_USER=produser \
  --from-literal=DB_PASSWORD=prodpass

5. Create Production Config: `tidb-prod.properties`

Add this to your application resources:

db.driver=${DB_DRIVER}
db.url=${DB_URL}
db.user=${DB_USER}
db.password=${DB_PASSWORD}
db.validationQuery=${DB_VALIDATION_QUERY}

At runtime, your application automatically uses production values via environment variables.

6. Kubernetes Deployment Snippet

Set environment variables in your container spec:

env:
  - name: DB_DRIVER
    valueFrom:
      configMapKeyRef:
        name: tidb-config
        key: DB_DRIVER
  - name: DB_URL
    valueFrom:
      configMapKeyRef:
        name: tidb-config
        key: DB_URL
  - name: DB_VALIDATION_QUERY
    valueFrom:
      configMapKeyRef:
        name: tidb-config
        key: DB_VALIDATION_QUERY
  - name: DB_USER
    valueFrom:
      secretKeyRef:
        name: tidb-secret
        key: DB_USER
  - name: DB_PASSWORD
    valueFrom:
      secretKeyRef:
        name: tidb-secret
        key: DB_PASSWORD

Package tidb-prod.properties and deploy your Struts app: it picks up the right config automatically.

7. Example Struts Action for DB Check

You can test connection health like this:

public class DbHealthAction extends ActionSupport {
  public String execute() {
    String url = System.getenv("DB_URL");
    String user = System.getenv("DB_USER");
    String pass = System.getenv("DB_PASSWORD");
    String validation = System.getenv("DB_VALIDATION_QUERY");
    try (Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, pass);
         Statement stmt = conn.createStatement()) {
      stmt.executeQuery(validation);
      addActionMessage("Connected to TiDB successfully!");
      return SUCCESS;
    } catch (SQLException e) {
      addActionError("Connection failed: " + e.getMessage());
      return ERROR;
    }
  }
}

No code change is needed between local and production environments—just switch .properties.

Why This Setup Works

Fast local iteration: Docker and dev configs give quick results
Secure production: Kubernetes Secrets keep credentials safe
Single codebase: No code duplication — Struts logic works everywhere
Separation of configuration: Distinct files reduce misconfiguration risk

With this setup, your Struts application works seamlessly with TiDB—using Docker for easy local dev and Kubernetes for secure production. You get a modern, distributed SQL backend without sacrificing simplicity or reliability.

1. Add Dependencies in pom.xml