How to connect to Spotify Data with Squirrel SQL client
The CData JDBC Driver for Spotify enables you to execute queries to Spotify data in tools like Squirrel SQL Client. In this article, you will create a JDBC data source for Spotify data and execute queries.
Add the JDBC Driver for Spotify
Follow the steps below to add the driver JAR.
- In Squirrel SQL, click Windows -> View Drivers.
- Click the plus icon to open the Add Driver wizard.
- In the Name box, enter a user-friendly name for the driver; for example, CData JDBC Driver for Spotify.
- In the Example URL box, enter jdbc:api:
- In the Extra Class Path tab, click Add.
- In the file explorer dialog that opens, select the JAR file for the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory.
- Click List Drivers to populate the Class Name menu with the class name for the driver, cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver.
Define Connection Properties
Follow the steps below to save connection properties in the driver alias.
- Click Windows -> View Aliases.
- In the pane that lists the aliases, click the plus icon.
In the Add Alias wizard that opens, the following fields are required for the JDBC driver:
- Name: Enter a name for the alias; for example, CData Spotify Source.
- Driver: Select the CData JDBC Driver for Spotify.
- URL: Enter jdbc:api:
- If you want to define any additional properties, click Properties.
- In the Driver properties tab of the dialog that appears, select the Use driver properties checkbox.
- In the Specify column, select the checkboxes for the required connection properties.
Using OAuth Authentication
Spotify uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. You will need to create an application in the Spotify Developer Dashboard to obtain your client credentials.
Setting Up Your Spotify Application
- Visit the Spotify Developer Dashboard.
- Log in with your Spotify account and click Create app.
- Provide an app name, description, and set a Redirect URI (e.g.,
http://localhost:33333
for desktop applications). - Copy your Client ID and Client Secret from the app settings.
Connection Properties
After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:
- AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
- InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.
- OAuthClientId: Set this to your Spotify application's Client ID.
- OAuthClientSecret: Set this to your Spotify application's Client Secret.
- Scope: Set this to the required OAuth scopes (space-separated). The default includes all read scopes needed for the tables in this profile.
- CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI configured in your Spotify application (e.g., http://localhost:33333).
Example Connection String
Profile=C:\profiles\Spotify.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;
Available OAuth Scopes
- user-read-private: Read access to user's subscription details and explicit content settings.
- user-read-email: Read access to user's email address.
- user-library-read: Read access to a user's saved tracks, albums, episodes, shows, and audiobooks.
- playlist-read-private: Read access to user's private playlists.
- playlist-read-collaborative: Read access to collaborative playlists the user follows.
- user-follow-read: Read access to the list of artists the current user follows.
- user-read-playback-state: Read access to a user's player state (device, current track, progress).
- user-read-currently-playing: Read access to a user's currently playing content.
- user-read-playback-history: Read access to a user's recently played tracks.
- user-top-read: Read access to a user's top artists and tracks.
Below is a typical connection string:
jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Spotify.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;
- In the dialog that appears after you click OK, click connect to test the connection.
Discover Schemas and Query Spotify Data
After the metadata has loaded, a new tab for the Spotify data source is displayed. On the Objects subtab, you can discover schema information, such as the available tables and views.
To view table data, select the table on the Objects tab. The table data is then loaded in a grid on the Content tab.
To execute an SQL query, enter the query on the SQL tab and then click Run SQL (the runner icon). For example:
SELECT , FROM Albums WHERE Id = '4aawyAB9vmqN3uQ7FjRGTy'