# User page with custom data from external DB

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-page-with-custom-data-from-external-db/56351
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [1월 25, 2017, 8:33오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-page-with-custom-data-from-external-db/56351 "2017-01-25T20:33:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 6

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Rojoss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/rojoss/32/121293_2.png) [@Rojoss](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Rojoss)
#### Post date: [1월 26, 2017, 2:41오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-page-with-custom-data-from-external-db/56351/6 "2017-01-26T14:41:05Z")

</div>

I’ve setup all routes and everything is working correct but now I’m at the part where I actually have to hook up the routes with my custom data and I’m not sure how to connect with the MySQL database.  
I’ve created settings for the host/username/password etc and now I wanna create a database connection.  
When I google it I only get results that you have to create a database config file but I don’t really get this working because I assume that it doesn’t work for plugins?  
I did find some Ruby tutorials for MySQL databases but I’m not sure if this is what I’m looking for.

I tried this to get the connection but I don’t think it’s the correct way and it’s also giving me errors.

[details=Summary]I put the following code in `plugin.rb`

```rb
  ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(
  :adapter => 'mysql',
  :database => SiteSetting.curvefever_mysql_database,
  :host => SiteSetting.curvefever_mysql_host,
  :username => SiteSetting.curvefever_mysql_username,
  :password => SiteSetting.curvefever_mysql_password
  )

```

It gives me this error.  
`Specified 'mysql' for database adapter, but the gem is not loaded. Add `gem 'mysql'` to your Gemfile (and ensure its version is at the minimum required by ActiveRecord). (Gem::LoadError)`  
The error is quite obvious but is it possible to add them gem in a plugin?[/details]

**EDIT** : So I’ve found out I can load a gem in the plugin but I’m unable to get it installed.  
I managed to install the gem with ruby locally but when I put it in my plugin it won’t install.  
`ERROR: Error installing mysql2: ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.`  
When I google the error It tells me to install mysql and ruby etc and I did all that and now it lets me install it with `gem install mysql2` but this still doesn’t fix the install for the plugin.  
I just put `gem 'mysql2', '0.4.5'` in my `plugin.rb`.

full log file: [gem-make.out · GitHub](https://gist.github.com/Rojoss/367c8e473317d0b7a65845c00ef7a9f4)

It seems kinda weird that I have to install MySQL and stuff locally if I wanna connect to an external database.  
When I load the plugin on my forum in production it also needs to work without having to install a bunch of stuff.

* * *

Another question, once I have the database hooked up and I’m able to fetch custom user data how does caching work?  
I found some guides on making API’s in rails apps but will this work as discourse plugin in the controllers?  
The user data is pretty dynamic but I don’t want users to be able to spam refresh and send a ton of queries.  
Something like 5 minute caching for user data would be great.  
Would I have to write my own caching for this or is there something I can use in rails?

In general I’d like to know to what extend I can follow up guides online for rails apps will everything just work fine in a plugin? Are there restrictions and things that can’t be done in plugins?

---

_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-page-with-custom-data-from-external-db/56351)._