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Private Service Connections

Private service connections let an application or development service use a selected private database, queue, or backend service without making that service public.

Use this when:

  • An API needs a database.
  • A development service needs a database, cache, queue, or vector store.
  • You want a service to stay private while still being usable by approved workloads.

How It Works​

  1. Deploy the private service, such as a database.
  2. Open the application or development service that should use it.
  3. Go to Settings.
  4. In Private Service Connections, select the private service.
  5. Click Connect.
  6. Restart, redeploy, or wait for the service update shown by the UI.

Moltern adds scoped connection variables to the selected workload and limits private access to the services you connect.

Applications​

Private service connections are available for applications that run a backend process.

To connect an application:

  1. Open Applications.
  2. Select the app.
  3. Open Settings.
  4. Find Private Service Connections.
  5. Choose a private service in the same environment.
  6. Click Connect.
  7. Redeploy or restart the app so the new variables are available.

Static apps do not support private service connections because they do not run a backend process.

Development Services​

Development services can also connect to private services in the same environment.

To connect a development service:

  1. Open Services.
  2. Select the development service.
  3. Open Settings.
  4. Find Private Service Connections.
  5. Choose a private service in the same environment.
  6. Click Connect.
  7. Wait for the service update to finish before opening a new session.

After connecting a private service, open a new terminal session from the development service and run a small framework-level check. This confirms the new variables are visible to the running workspace before you continue prototyping.

Variables​

Moltern shows the variable names created by each connection. Values remain protected.

Examples of variable names you may see:

  • POSTGRES_HOST
  • POSTGRES_PORT
  • POSTGRES_DATABASE_URL
  • REDIS_HOST
  • REDIS_URL

If your workload already defines a generic variable such as DATABASE_URL, Moltern keeps your existing value and still adds prefixed variables for the connected service.

To view full database credentials, use the private service Connection Details panel. Sensitive values require your connection details password.

Removing A Connection​

To remove a connection:

  1. Open the source application or development service.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Find Private Service Connections.
  4. Click Remove beside the service.
  5. Restart, redeploy, or wait for the service update to finish.

Removing a connection does not delete the target service or its data.

Troubleshooting​

If a service does not appear in the dropdown:

  • Confirm it is in the same environment.
  • Confirm it is a private service that exposes connection details.
  • Confirm it is not an automatically managed dependency hidden behind another service.

If variables do not appear in your app:

  • Redeploy or restart the app.
  • Check that the app is not a static site.
  • Confirm the connection still appears in the app settings.

If a development service cannot reach a connected service:

  • Wait for the service update to finish.
  • Start a new session after the update.
  • Confirm the target service is running.
  • Confirm you are testing from the connected development service, not from a different service.