☁️ AppML – Using Google Cloud SQL with AppML: Build Cloud-Connected Web Apps Easily

🧲 Introduction – Why Use Google Cloud SQL with AppML?

Google Cloud SQL is a fully managed, scalable, and secure relational database service that supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. When combined with AppML, you can build full-stack, cloud-powered applications using just HTML, JSON models, and PHP—with no JavaScript or heavy backend frameworks required.

🎯 In this tutorial, you’ll learn:

• How to set up Google Cloud SQL for AppML
• How to connect AppML server scripts to your Cloud SQL instance
• How to securely fetch and update cloud-hosted data
• How to build real-time views with AppML and GCP

🔧 Step 1: Set Up Google Cloud SQL (MySQL)

✅ Create a Cloud SQL Instance

1. Go to Google Cloud Console.
2. Navigate to SQL > Create Instance > MySQL.
3. Set instance ID (e.g., appml-instance).
4. Choose root password, region, and database version.
5. Click Create.

✅ Configure Public Access

1. In Instance Settings, go to Connections.
2. Under IP Networks, click Add Network.
3. Add your server IP (or 0.0.0.0/0 for testing, not recommended for production).
4. Save changes.

✅ Create Database and Table

CREATE DATABASE appml;

USE appml;

CREATE TABLE products (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  price DECIMAL(10,2),
  stock INT
);

✅ Your Cloud SQL DB is now ready for AppML integration.

🛠️ Step 2: Prepare AppML Files

📁 models/products-model.json

{
  "key": "id",
  "table": "products",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "name", "required": true },
    { "name": "price", "datatype": "number" },
    { "name": "stock", "datatype": "number" }
  ]
}

✔️ Defines the structure for CRUD operations using AppML.

🐘 products.php

<?php
include("appml.php");

$appml = new AppML();
$appml->model = "models/products-model.json";
$appml->run();
?>

✔️ This script connects the model to the database and handles all AppML requests.

🔗 Update appml.php for Cloud SQL Connection

$hostname = "YOUR_PUBLIC_IP"; // From Cloud SQL
$username = "root";
$password = "your_password";
$database = "appml";

$conn = new mysqli($hostname, $username, $password, $database);

✅ Ensure the YOUR_PUBLIC_IP matches the Cloud SQL instance’s public IP address.

🖥️ Step 3: Create the AppML HTML Page

<div 
  appml-model="models/products-model.json" 
  appml-data="https://yourdomain.com/products.php" 
  appml-message>

  <h2>Live Product List</h2>
  <p>{{name}} – ${{price}} ({{stock}} in stock)</p>
</div>

✅ AppML will now load and display product data live from your Cloud SQL database.

🛡️ Best Practices for Cloud SQL Integration

🌍 Use Cases – Why AppML + Google Cloud SQL Works Great

📌 Summary – Recap & Key Takeaways

AppML + Google Cloud SQL gives developers the ability to create secure, scalable, and low-code web applications that connect directly to cloud-hosted MySQL databases. With AppML handling frontend logic and GCP powering backend storage, you can launch dynamic apps with minimal overhead.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Use Google Cloud SQL to host your MySQL DB securely in the cloud
• Point appml-data to a PHP endpoint connected to Cloud SQL
• Define your DB schema with AppML JSON model files
• Secure your database access with firewalls, HTTPS, and credentials
• Ideal for dashboards, CMS, inventory apps, and student portals

⚙️ Build dynamic cloud-connected applications with ease—no JavaScript or complex backend needed.

❓ FAQs – AppML with Google Cloud SQL

❓ Can AppML connect directly to Cloud SQL from HTML?
❌ No. You must use a backend script (PHP or ASP) to serve data from Cloud SQL.

❓ What cloud database types does AppML support?
✅ AppML works with any SQL-compatible DB (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) via backend PHP/ASP.

❓ Can I host AppML on Netlify and still connect to GCP?
✅ Yes. Just make sure your backend script (e.g., products.php) is hosted on a server that can access your Cloud SQL instance.

❓ Does Google Cloud SQL support free tier usage?
✅ Google offers a limited free tier for MySQL with usage quotas—ideal for testing or learning.

❓ What if my Cloud SQL public IP changes?
✅ Use a static IP address or Cloud SQL instance proxy to avoid disruptions.