Installation & Setup Guide

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.10+
  • pip or uv
  • A supported database (Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Oracle, or SQLite)

Installation

From PyPI

pip install terno-dbi

From Source (Development)

git clone https://github.com/terno-ai/ternodbi
cd ternodbi
pip install -e .

Configuration

TernoDBI works out-of-the-box with SQLite, but production use requires configuring environment variables.

Environment Variables

Variable Description Default
DBI_SECRET_KEY Django cryptographic signing key. Change this in prod! django-insecure...
DBI_DEBUG Enable debug mode (detailed errors). True
DBI_ALLOWED_HOSTS Comma-separated list of allowed hostnames. *
DATABASE_ENGINE Primary backend DB: MYSQL, POSTGRESQL, or empty (SQLite). SQLite

Database Specific Configuration

PostgreSQL (DATABASE_ENGINE=POSTGRESQL)

  • POSTGRES_DB
  • POSTGRES_USER
  • POSTGRES_PASS
  • POSTGRES_HOST
  • POSTGRES_PORT

MySQL (DATABASE_ENGINE=MYSQL)

  • MYSQL_DB
  • MYSQL_USER
  • MYSQL_PASS
  • MYSQL_HOST
  • MYSQL_PORT

Running the Server

  1. Start the Server: 
    ternodbi start

    This single command automatically runs database migrations, creates a default admin user, and starts the API server.

    • The Health Check will be available at: http://localhost:8376/api/health/
    • The Admin Console will be at: http://localhost:8376/admin/

Creating Your First User & Token

  1. Create Superuser (if you don't want to use the default admin/admin): 
    ternodbi manage createsuperuser
  2. Issue API Token (for Agents): 
    ternodbi manage issue_token --name "MyFirstAgent" --type query