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My q Connection

This page explains how to configure a My q connection to a standalone q process in the kdb Visual Studio Code Extension.

A My q connection is used to connect to an existing q process running locally or on a remote host. The extension does not manage or launch this q instance — it only connects to it. This is useful for connecting to development processes, local q sessions started manually, or remote kdb services.

Create a My q connection

When you select My q as the connection type, identify the remote location of a running process. You must provide the hostname and port, along with any authentication information.

Required and optional properties

Set the following properties:

Property Description
Server Name The server name / alias. The server name selected cannot be insights, as this is reserved for use by Insights connections. For example, dev.
The connection address Set to the IP address of the kdb server. For example, localhost.
Port Enter the port used by the kdb server; for example, 5001. Learn more about setting a q port.
Username If authentication is needed, fill in the username. Otherwise, leave blank.
Password If authentication is needed, fill in the password. Otherwise, leave blank.
Enable TLS Encryption Check the box is TLS is enabled. Learn more about TLS encryption.
Label Name Select the label you want to assign the connection to.

Create the connection

  1. After filling in the connection properties described above, click Create Connection. The connection appears under CONNECTIONS in the primary sidebar.

  2. Right-click the My q connection listed under CONNECTIONS and select Connect server. This connects VS Code to the external q process running at the specified host and port.

Once the My q connection is established, it becomes available as an execution target for:

  • Running q code from source files, Workbooks, and KX Notebooks
  • Executing Python code (if the connected q process has PyKX loaded)
  • Query History, which records all executed queries
  • Viewing results in the Output and KDB Results panels

Because My q connects to an existing, unmanaged q process, features like the scratchpad, replica targeting, and metadata exploration (that rely on kdb Insights Enterprise services) are not available.

Note

Closing VS Code will terminate the active session. Reopen the IDE and reconnect to restore access.

Edit My q connection

To modify an existing My q connection:

  1. Right-click the connection in the sidebar.

  2. Select Edit Connection.

You may update any of the following fields:

Property Description
Server Name The server name / alias. The server name selected cannot be insights, as this is reserved for use by Insights connections. For example, dev.
The connection address Set to the IP address of the kdb server. For example, localhost.
Port Enter the port used by the kdb server; for example 5001. Learn more about setting a q port.
Edit Auth options Check the box if you wish to change Auth options. If you want to remove the Auth for this connection, select this checkbox and leave the Username and Password fields in blank.
Username If authentication is needed, fill in the username. Otherwise, leave blank.
Password If authentication is needed, fill in the password. Otherwise, leave blank.
Enable TLS Encryption Check the box is TLS is enabled. Learn more about TLS encryption.
Label Name Select the label to assign the connection to.

Edit My q connection

Next steps