> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/maxscale/mariadb-maxscale-tutorials/configuring-servers.md).

# Configuring Servers

Define your database backend servers in MaxScale. Learn to configure server objects set addresses and ports and enable TLS encryption for secure connections.

The first step is to define the servers that make up the cluster. These servers will be used by the services and are monitored by the monitor.

```ini
[dbserv1]
type=server
address=192.168.2.1
port=3306

[dbserv2]
type=server
address=192.168.2.2
port=3306

[dbserv3]
type=server
address=192.168.2.3
port=3306
```

The `address` and `port` parameters tell where the server is located.

### Enabling TLS

To enable encryption for the MaxScale-to-MariaDB communication, add `ssl=true` to the server section. To enable server certificate verification, add`ssl_verify_peer_certificate=true`.

The `ssl` and `ssl_verify_peer_certificate` parameters are similar to the`--ssl` and `--ssl-verify-server-cert` options of the `mysql` command line client.

For more information about TLS, refer to the [Configuration Guide](/docs/maxscale/maxscale-management/deployment/installation-and-configuration/maxscale-configuration-guide.md).

<sub>*This page is licensed: CC BY-SA / Gnu FDL*</sub>

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