Connecting to MySQL in Sails.js app about dokku-mysql HOT 3 CLOSED

If you are using a relational database such as MySQL, there is an additional step. Remember how Sails sets all your models to migrate:safe when run in production? That means no auto-migrations are run when lifting the app...which means by default your tables won't exist. A common approach to deal with this during the first-time setup of a relational database for your Sails app goes as follows:

Create the database on the production database server (e.g. frenchfryparty)

Configure your app locally to use this production database, but don't set the environment to 'production', and leave your models' configuration set to migrate: 'alter'. Now run sails lift once-- and when the local server finishes lifting, kill it.

Be careful! You should only do this when there is no data in the production database.
If this makes you nervous or if you can't connect to the production database remotely, you can skip the steps above. Instead, simply dump your local schema and import it into the production database.