Unable to Connect to AWS RDS PostgreSQL: SSL Must Be Enabled

Unable to Connect to AWS RDS PostgreSQL: SSL Must Be Enabled

A connection to an AWS RDS PostgreSQL instance cannot be established from dbForge Studio for PostgreSQL, while other database tools, such as PgAdmin or DBeaver, connect successfully using the same connection parameters.

Cause

AWS RDS PostgreSQL requires SSL connections. In dbForge Studio for PostgreSQL, SSL is disabled by default (SSL Mode = disable). As a result, the connection attempt fails if the server accepts only SSL-encrypted connections. Other database clients, including PgAdmin and DBeaver, typically use SSL Mode = prefer by default. They first attempt to establish an SSL connection and automatically fall back to a non-SSL connection only if SSL is unavailable.

Resolution

When creating or editing the connection:

1. Open the Security tab.
2. Enable the Use SSL protocol option.
3. Save the connection settings and reconnect.
   

If the server requires certificate validation or a specific SSL mode, configure the corresponding SSL parameters according to the AWS RDS PostgreSQL settings.

Screenshot of the Security tab with the Use SSL protocol option enabled: