Generate CockroachDB Resources

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The cockroach gen command can generate command-line interface (CLI) utilities (man pages and abash autocompletion script), example SQL data suitable to populate test databases, and an HAProxy configuration file for load balancing a running cluster.

Subcommands

Subcommand	Usage
`man`	Generate man pages for CockroachDB.
`autocomplete`	Generate bash autocompletion script for CockroachDB.
`example-data`	Generate example SQL data.
`haproxy`	Generate an HAProxy config file for a running CockroachDB cluster.

Synopsis

# Generate man pages:
$ cockroach gen man

# Generate bash autocompletion script:
$ cockroach gen autocomplete

# Generate example SQL data:
$ cockroach gen example-data intro | cockroach sql
$ cockroach gen example-data startrek | cockroach sql

# Generate an HAProxy config file for a running cluster:
$ cockroach gen haproxy

# View help:
$ cockroach gen --help
$ cockroach gen man --help
$ cockroach gen autocomplete --help
$ cockroach gen example-data --help
$ cockroach gen haproxy --help

Flags

The gen subcommands supports the following general-use and logging flags.

General

`man`

Flag	Description
`--path`	The path where man pages will be generated. Default: `man/man1` under the current directory

`autocomplete`

Flag	Description
`--out`	The path where the autocomplete file will be generated. Default: `cockroach.bash` in the current directory

`example-data`

No flags are supported. See the Generate Example Data example for guidance.

`haproxy`

Flag	Description
`--certs-dir`	The path to the certificate directory. The directory must contain valid certificates if running in secure mode. Env Variable: `COCKROACH_CERTS_DIR` Default: `${HOME}/.cockroach-certs/`
`--host`	The server host to connect to. This can be the address of any node in the cluster. Env Variable: `COCKROACH_HOST` Default: `localhost`
`--insecure`	Run in insecure mode. If this flag is not set, the `--certs-dir` flag must point to valid certificates. Env Variable: `COCKROACH_INSECURE` Default: `false`
`--out`	The path where the `haproxy.cfg` file will be generated. If an `haproxy.cfg` file already exists in the directory, it will be overwritten. Default: `haproxy.cfg` in the current directory
`--port` `-p`	The server port to connect to. Env Variable: `COCKROACH_PORT` Default: `26257`

Logging

By default, the gen command logs errors to stderr.

If you need to troubleshoot this command's behavior, you can change its logging behavior.

Examples

Generate `man` Pages

# Generate man pages:
$ cockroach gen man

# Move the man pages to the man directory:
$ sudo mv man/man1/* /usr/share/man/man1

# Access man pages:
$ man cockroach

Generate a `bash` Autocompletion Script

# Generate bash autocompletion script:
$ cockroach gen autocomplete

# Add the script to your .bashrc and .bash_profle:
$ printf "\n\n#cockroach bash autocomplete\nsource '<path to>cockroach.bash'" >> ~/.bashrc
$ printf "\n\n#cockroach bash autocomplete\nsource '<path to>cockroach.bash'" >> ~/.bash_profile

You can now use tab to autocomplete cockroach commands.

Generate Example Data

To test out CockroachDB, you can generate an example startrek database, which contains 2 tables, episodes and quotes.

# Generate example `startrek` database:
$ cockroach gen example-data startrek | cockroach sql --insecure

CREATE DATABASE
SET
DROP TABLE
DROP TABLE
CREATE TABLE
INSERT 79
CREATE TABLE
INSERT 200

# Launch the built-in SQL client to view it:
$ cockroach sql --insecure

> SHOW TABLES FROM startrek;

+----------+
|  Table   |
+----------+
| episodes |
| quotes   |
+----------+
(2 rows)

You can also generate an example intro database, which contains 1 table, mytable, with a hidden message:

# Generate example `intro` database:
$ cockroach gen example-data intro | cockroach sql --insecure

CREATE DATABASE
SET
DROP TABLE
CREATE TABLE
INSERT 1
INSERT 1
INSERT 1
INSERT 1
...

# Launch the built-in SQL client to view it:
$ cockroach sql --insecure

> SHOW TABLES FROM intro;

+---------+
|  Table  |
+---------+
| mytable |
+---------+
(1 row)

> SELECT * FROM intro.mytable WHERE (l % 2) = 0;

+----+------------------------------------------------------+
| l  |                          v                           |
+----+------------------------------------------------------+
|  0 | !__aaawwmqmqmwwwaas,,_        .__aaawwwmqmqmwwaaa,,  |
|  2 | !"VT?!"""^~~^"""??T$Wmqaa,_auqmWBT?!"""^~~^^""??YV^  |
|  4 | !                    "?##mW##?"-                     |
|  6 | !  C O N G R A T S  _am#Z??A#ma,           Y         |
|  8 | !                 _ummY"    "9#ma,       A           |
| 10 | !                vm#Z(        )Xmms    Y             |
| 12 | !              .j####mmm#####mm#m##6.                |
| 14 | !   W O W !    jmm###mm######m#mmm##6                |
| 16 | !             ]#me*Xm#m#mm##m#m##SX##c               |
| 18 | !             dm#||+*$##m#mm#m#Svvn##m               |
| 20 | !            :mmE=|+||S##m##m#1nvnnX##;     A        |
| 22 | !            :m#h+|+++=Xmm#m#1nvnnvdmm;     M        |
| 24 | ! Y           $#m>+|+|||##m#1nvnnnnmm#      A        |
| 26 | !  O          ]##z+|+|+|3#mEnnnnvnd##f      Z        |
| 28 | !   U  D       4##c|+|+|]m#kvnvnno##P       E        |
| 30 | !       I       4#ma+|++]mmhvnnvq##P`       !        |
| 32 | !        D I     ?$#q%+|dmmmvnnm##!                  |
| 34 | !           T     -4##wu#mm#pw##7'                   |
| 36 | !                   -?$##m####Y'                     |
| 38 | !             !!       "Y##Y"-                       |
| 40 | !                                                    |
+----+------------------------------------------------------+
(21 rows)

Generate an HAProxy Configuration File

HAProxy is one of the most popular open-source TCP load balancers, and CockroachDB includes a built-in command for generating a configuration file that is preset to work with your running cluster.

To generate an HAProxy config file for a secure cluster, run the cockroach gen haproxy command, specifying the location of certificate directory and the address of any instance running a CockroachDB node:

$ cockroach gen haproxy \
--certs-dir=<path to certs directory> \
--host=<address of any node in the cluster> \
--port=26257

To generate an HAProxy config file for an insecure cluster, run the cockroach gen haproxy command, specifying the address of any instance running a CockroachDB node:

$ cockroach gen haproxy --insecure \
--host=<address of any node in the cluster> \
--port=26257

By default, the generated configuration file is called haproxy.cfg and looks as follows, with the server addresses pre-populated correctly:

global
  maxconn 4096

defaults
    mode                tcp
    # Timeout values should be configured for your specific use.
    # See: https://cbonte.github.io/haproxy-dconv/1.8/configuration.html#4-timeout%20connect
    timeout connect     10s
    timeout client      1m
    timeout server      1m
    # TCP keep-alive on client side. Server already enables them.
    option              clitcpka

listen psql
    bind :26257
    mode tcp
    balance roundrobin
    option httpchk GET /health?ready=1
    server cockroach1 <node1 address>:26257
    server cockroach2 <node2 address>:26257
    server cockroach3 <node3 address>:26257

The file is preset with the minimal configurations needed to work with your running cluster:

Field	Description
`timeout connect` `timeout client` `timeout server`	Timeout values that should be suitable for most deployments.
`bind`	The port that HAProxy listens on. This is the port clients will connect to and thus needs to be allowed by your network configuration. This tutorial assumes HAProxy is running on a separate machine from CockroachDB nodes. If you run HAProxy on the same machine as a node (not recommended), you'll need to change this port, as `26257` is likely already being used by the CockroachDB node.
`balance`	The balancing algorithm. This is set to `roundrobin` to ensure that connections get rotated amongst nodes (connection 1 on node 1, connection 2 on node 2, etc.). Check the HAProxy Configuration Manual for details about this and other balancing algorithms.
`option httpchk`	The HTTP endpoint that HAProxy uses to check node health. `/health?ready=1` ensures that HAProxy doesn't direct traffic to nodes that are live but not ready to receive requests.
`server`	For each node in the cluster, this field specifies the interface that the node listens on, i.e., the address passed in the `--host` flag on node startup.

Note:

For full details on these and other configuration settings, see the HAProxy Configuration Manual.

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Generate CockroachDB Resources

Subcommands

Synopsis

Flags

General

`man`

`autocomplete`

`example-data`

`haproxy`

Logging

Examples

Generate `man` Pages

Generate a `bash` Autocompletion Script

Generate Example Data

Generate an HAProxy Configuration File

See Also

Generate CockroachDB Resources

Subcommands

Synopsis

Flags

General

man

autocomplete

example-data

haproxy

Logging

Examples

Generate man Pages

Generate a bash Autocompletion Script

Generate Example Data

Generate an HAProxy Configuration File

See Also

`man`

`autocomplete`

`example-data`

`haproxy`

Generate `man` Pages

Generate a `bash` Autocompletion Script