Google Cloud SQL

Overview

The OneSignal + Google Cloud SQL integration enables automatic syncing of custom events from your Cloud SQL database to OneSignal. This allows you to trigger automated Journeys and personalized messaging campaigns based on user behavioral data stored in your managed PostgreSQL database.

Requirements

Access to Event Streams for outbound message events (Plan limitations and overages apply)
Access to Custom Events for inbound event syncing (Plan limitations and overages apply)
Updated Account Plan (not available on free apps)

Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance (version 11 or higher recommended)
Database access with read permissions for event tables
Network connectivity from OneSignal to your Cloud SQL instance
Cloud SQL Auth proxy for secure connections (recommended)

Setup

Configure Cloud SQL database access

Create a dedicated user for OneSignal with read-only access to event tables:

-- Create OneSignal user
CREATE USER onesignal_reader WITH PASSWORD 'strong_unique_password';

-- Grant schema access
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA event_data TO onesignal_reader;

-- Grant table access
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA event_data TO onesignal_reader;

-- Grant access to future tables
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES IN SCHEMA event_data
GRANT SELECT ON TABLES TO onesignal_reader;

Configure network access

Ensure OneSignal can connect to your Cloud SQL instance:Option 1: Authorized Networks (Public IP)

In Google Cloud Console, go to SQL > Instances
Select your instance → Connections → Networking
Add the IP addresses provided by OneSignal in the Integration setup to Authorized networks

Option 2: Private IP (Recommended)

Configure your Cloud SQL instance with a private IP
Use Cloud SQL Auth Proxy for secure connections
Ensure proper VPC peering or firewall rules

Option 3: Cloud SQL Auth Proxy

Download and configure the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy
Use service account authentication
Connect through secure proxy tunnel

Set up Cloud SQL Auth Proxy (recommended)

For enhanced security, use Cloud SQL Auth Proxy:

# Download Cloud SQL Auth Proxy
curl -o cloud_sql_proxy https://dl.google.com/cloudsql/cloud_sql_proxy.linux.amd64

# Make executable
chmod +x cloud_sql_proxy

# Run proxy (replace with your instance connection name)
./cloud_sql_proxy -instances=PROJECT:REGION:INSTANCE=tcp:5432

Create a service account with Cloud SQL Client role:

gcloud iam service-accounts create onesignal-cloudsql
gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding PROJECT_ID \
    --member="serviceAccount:onesignal-cloudsql@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
    --role="roles/cloudsql.client"

Add integration in OneSignal

In OneSignal, go to Data > Integrations and click Add Integration.Select Google Cloud SQL and provide:

Instance Connection Name: PROJECT_ID:REGION:INSTANCE_ID
Database Name: Your event database name
Username: onesignal_reader
Password: The password created in Step 1
SSL Mode: require (recommended for security)
Connection Type: Choose between Direct, Auth Proxy, or Private IP

Configure event data queries

Define the SQL query to retrieve event data from your Cloud SQL database:

SELECT
    event_name,
    user_id,
    created_at as event_timestamp,
    properties as event_payload
FROM event_data.user_events
WHERE created_at >= CURRENT_TIMESTAMP - INTERVAL '1 hour'
ORDER BY created_at DESC

Ensure your event tables include:

Event name/type (String)
User identifier (String)
Event timestamp (Timestamp)
Event properties (JSON/JSONB)

Test the connection

Click Test Connection to verify OneSignal can connect to your Cloud SQL instance and execute the event query successfully.

Event data mapping

Map your to OneSignal’s custom events format:

OneSignal Field	Description	Required
`name`	`event_name`	Event identifier	Yes
`external_id`	`user_id`	User identifier	Yes
`timestamp`	`event_timestamp`	When event occurred	No
`properties`	`event_data`	No

Advanced Configuration

Connection Pooling

Optimize database connections for high-volume event syncing:

-- Check current connection limits
SELECT * FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = 'your_database';

-- Optimize for OneSignal connections
ALTER SYSTEM SET max_connections = 200;
ALTER SYSTEM SET shared_preload_libraries = 'pg_stat_statements';

Query Optimization

Improve event query performance:

-- Create index on timestamp for efficient filtering
CREATE INDEX idx_events_created_at ON user_events(created_at);

-- Create composite index for user-based queries
CREATE INDEX idx_events_user_time ON user_events(user_id, created_at);

-- Analyze query performance
EXPLAIN ANALYZE
SELECT event_name, user_id, created_at, properties
FROM user_events
WHERE created_at >= NOW() - INTERVAL '1 hour';

JSON Data Handling

If using JSONB for event properties, optimize JSON queries:

-- Create GIN index for JSON properties
CREATE INDEX idx_events_properties ON user_events USING GIN(properties);

-- Query specific JSON properties
SELECT
    event_name,
    user_id,
    properties->>'purchase_amount' as amount,
    properties->>'product_id' as product
FROM user_events
WHERE properties->>'event_type' = 'purchase';

Monitor your Cloud SQL instance’s performance when OneSignal queries event data. Consider using read replicas for analytics workloads to avoid impacting production performance.

FAQ

How often does OneSignal sync events from Cloud SQL?

OneSignal syncs event data based on your configured schedule, with a minimum interval of 15 minutes.

Can I use Cloud SQL read replicas for event syncing?

Yes, using read replicas is recommended to isolate analytics queries from your production database workload.

What happens if my Cloud SQL instance is temporarily unavailable?

OneSignal will retry connections with exponential backoff. Event syncing will resume automatically once your instance is accessible again.

First steps & settings

Message channels

Journeys

OneSignal AI

Audience & events

Analytics & Integrations

Privacy & Security

Google Cloud SQL

Overview

Requirements

Google Cloud SQL

Setup

Event data mapping

Advanced Configuration

Connection Pooling

Query Optimization

JSON Data Handling

FAQ

How often does OneSignal sync events from Cloud SQL?

Can I use Cloud SQL read replicas for event syncing?

What happens if my Cloud SQL instance is temporarily unavailable?

​Overview

​Requirements

​Google Cloud SQL

​Setup

​Event data mapping

​Advanced Configuration

​Connection Pooling

​Query Optimization

​JSON Data Handling

​FAQ

​How often does OneSignal sync events from Cloud SQL?

​Can I use Cloud SQL read replicas for event syncing?

​What happens if my Cloud SQL instance is temporarily unavailable?

Overview

Requirements

Google Cloud SQL

Setup

Event data mapping

Advanced Configuration

Connection Pooling

Query Optimization

JSON Data Handling

FAQ

How often does OneSignal sync events from Cloud SQL?

Can I use Cloud SQL read replicas for event syncing?

What happens if my Cloud SQL instance is temporarily unavailable?