diff --git a/CHANGELOG-v3.4.md b/CHANGELOG-v3.4.md
index 9f4dfba15f2..35a16515454 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG-v3.4.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG-v3.4.md
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 - Added `craft\events\DefineGqlValidationRulesEvent`.
 - Added `craft\events\RegisterGqlPermissionsEvent`.
 - Added `craft\gql\TypeManager`.
+- Added `craft\helpers\Db::parseDsn()`.
+- Added `craft\helpers\Db::url2config()`.
 - Added `craft\services\Gql::getValidationRules()`.
 - Added `craft\web\Controller::requireGuest()`.
 - Added `craft\web\User::guestRequired()`.
@@ -25,5 +27,10 @@
 - Plugins can now modify the GraphQL schema by listening for the `defineGqlTypeFields` event.
 - Plugins can now modify the GraphQL permissions by listening for the `registerGqlPermissions` event.
 - Full GraphQL schema is now always generated when `devMode` is set to `true`.
+- The installer now requires `config/db.php` to be setting the `dsn` database config setting with a `DB_DSN` environment variable, if a connection can’t already be established. 
 - `craft\services\Elements::saveElement()` now has an `$updateSearchIndex` argument (defaults to `true`). ([#4840](https://github.com/craftcms/cms/issues/4840))
 - `craft\services\Elements::resaveElements()` now has an `$updateSearchIndex` argument (defaults to `false`). ([#4840](https://github.com/craftcms/cms/issues/4840))
+
+### Deprecated
+- Deprecated the `url`, `driver`, `database`, `server`, `port`, and `unixSocket` database config settings. `dsn` should be used instead.
+- Deprecated `craft\config\DbConfig::updateDsn()`.
diff --git a/src/config/DbConfig.php b/src/config/DbConfig.php
index 40304223341..d12cf6a728c 100644
--- a/src/config/DbConfig.php
+++ b/src/config/DbConfig.php
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 
 namespace craft\config;
 
+use Craft;
+use craft\helpers\Db;
 use craft\helpers\StringHelper;
 use yii\base\BaseObject;
 use yii\base\InvalidConfigException;
@@ -50,39 +52,25 @@ class DbConfig extends BaseObject
      */
     public $charset = 'utf8';
     /**
-     * @var string The name of the database to select.
-     */
-    public $database = '';
-    /**
-     * @var string The database driver to use. Either 'mysql' for MySQL or 'pgsql' for PostgreSQL.
-     */
-    public $driver = self::DRIVER_MYSQL;
-    /**
-     * @var string If you want to manually specify your PDO DSN connection string you can do so here.
+     * @var string The Data Source Name (“DSN”) that tells Craft how to connect to the database.
+     *
+     * DSNs should begin with a driver prefix (`mysql:` or `pgsql:`), followed by driver-specific parameters.
+     * For example, `mysql:host=127.0.0.1;port=3306;dbname=acme_corp`.
      *
-     * - MySQL: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pdo-mysql.connection.php
-     * - PostgreSQL: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pdo-pgsql.connection.php
-     * If you set this, then the [[server]], [[port]], [[user]], [[password]], [[database]],
-     * [[driver]] and [[unixSocket]] config settings will be ignored.
+     * - MySQL parameters: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pdo-mysql.connection.php
+     * - PostgreSQL parameters: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pdo-pgsql.connection.php
      */
     public $dsn;
     /**
      * @var string The database password to connect with.
      */
     public $password = '';
-    /**
-     * @var int The database server port. Defaults to 3306 for MySQL and 5432 for PostgreSQL.
-     */
-    public $port;
     /**
      * @var string The schema that Postgres is configured to use by default (PostgreSQL only).
      * @see https://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.2/static/ddl-schemas.html
      */
     public $schema = 'public';
     /**
-     * @var string The database server name or IP address. Usually 'localhost' or '127.0.0.1'.
-     */
-    public $server = 'localhost';
     /**
      * @var string If you're sharing Craft installs in a single database (MySQL) or a single
      * database and using a shared schema (PostgreSQL), then you can set a table
@@ -91,22 +79,48 @@ class DbConfig extends BaseObject
      */
     public $tablePrefix = '';
     /**
-     * @var string|null MySQL only. If this is set, then the CLI connection string (used for yiic) will
-     * connect to the Unix socket, instead of the server and port. If this is
-     * specified, then 'server' and 'port' settings are ignored.
+     * @var string The database username to connect with.
      */
-    public $unixSocket;
+    public $user = 'root';
+
+    // Deprecated Properties
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
     /**
      * @var string|null The database connection URL, if one was provided by your hosting environment.
      *
      * If this is set, the values for [[driver]], [[user]], [[database]], [[server]], [[port]], and [[database]]
      * will be extracted from it.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. Use [[Db::url2config()]] instead.
      */
     public $url;
     /**
-     * @var string The database username to connect with.
+     * @var string The database driver to use. Either 'mysql' for MySQL or 'pgsql' for PostgreSQL.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead.
      */
-    public $user = 'root';
+    public $driver;
+    /**
+     * @var string The database server name or IP address. Usually 'localhost' or '127.0.0.1'.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead.
+     */
+    public $server;
+    /**
+     * @var int The database server port. Defaults to 3306 for MySQL and 5432 for PostgreSQL.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead.
+     */
+    public $port;
+    /**
+     * @var string|null MySQL only. If this is set, then the CLI connection string (used for yiic) will
+     * connect to the Unix socket, instead of the server and port. If this is
+     * specified, then 'server' and 'port' settings are ignored.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead, which can have a `unix_socket` param.
+     */
+    public $unixSocket;
+    /**
+     * @var string The name of the database to select.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead.
+     */
+    public $database;
 
     // Public Methods
     // =========================================================================
@@ -116,76 +130,9 @@ class DbConfig extends BaseObject
      */
     public function init()
     {
-        // If the DSN is already set, parse it
-        if ($this->dsn) {
-            if (($pos = strpos($this->dsn, ':')) === false) {
-                throw new InvalidConfigException('Invalid DSN: ' . $this->dsn);
-            }
-            $this->driver = substr($this->dsn, 0, $pos);
-            $params = substr($this->dsn, $pos + 1);
-            foreach (explode(';', $params) as $param) {
-                if (($pos = strpos($param, '=')) === false) {
-                    throw new InvalidConfigException('Invalid DSN param: ' . $param);
-                }
-                $paramName = substr($param, 0, $pos);
-                $paramValue = substr($param, $pos + 1);
-                switch ($paramName) {
-                    case 'host':
-                        $this->server = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'port':
-                        $this->port = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'dbname':
-                        $this->database = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'unix_socket':
-                        $this->unixSocket = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'charset':
-                        $this->charset = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'user': // PG only
-                        $this->user = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                    case 'password': // PG only
-                        $this->password = $paramValue;
-                        break;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
         // If $url was set, parse it to set other properties
         if ($this->url) {
-            $url = parse_url($this->url);
-            if (isset($url['scheme'])) {
-                $scheme = strtolower($url['scheme']);
-                if (in_array($scheme, [self::DRIVER_PGSQL, 'postgres', 'postgresql'], true)) {
-                    $this->driver = self::DRIVER_PGSQL;
-                } else {
-                    $this->driver = self::DRIVER_MYSQL;
-                }
-            }
-            if (isset($url['user'])) {
-                $this->user = $url['user'];
-            }
-            if (isset($url['pass'])) {
-                $this->password = $url['pass'];
-            }
-            if (isset($url['host'])) {
-                $this->server = $url['host'];
-            }
-            if (isset($url['port'])) {
-                $this->port = $url['port'];
-            }
-            if (isset($url['path'])) {
-                $this->database = trim($url['path'], '/');
-            }
-        }
-
-        // Validate driver
-        if (!in_array($this->driver, [self::DRIVER_MYSQL, self::DRIVER_PGSQL], true)) {
-            throw new InvalidConfigException('Unsupported DB driver value: ' . $this->driver);
+            Craft::configure($this, Db::url2config($this->url));
         }
 
         // Validate tablePrefix
@@ -196,13 +143,34 @@ public function init()
             }
         }
 
-        // Lowercase server & unixSocket
-        $this->server = strtolower($this->server);
-        if ($this->unixSocket !== null) {
+        // If we don't have a DSN yet, create one from the deprecated settings
+        if ($this->dsn === null) {
+            $this->updateDsn();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Updates the DSN string based on the config setting values.
+     * @throws InvalidConfigException if [[driver]] isn’t set to `mysql` or `pgsql`.
+     * @deprecated in 3.4.0. [[dsn]] should be set directly instead.
+     */
+    public function updateDsn()
+    {
+        if (!$this->driver) {
+            $this->driver = self::DRIVER_MYSQL;
+        }
+
+        if (!in_array($this->driver, [self::DRIVER_MYSQL, self::DRIVER_PGSQL], true)) {
+            throw new InvalidConfigException('Unsupported DB driver value: ' . $this->driver);
+        }
+
+        if ($this->driver === self::DRIVER_MYSQL && $this->unixSocket) {
             $this->unixSocket = strtolower($this->unixSocket);
+            $this->dsn = "{$this->driver}:unix_socket={$this->unixSocket};dbname={$this->database}";
+            return;
         }
 
-        // Set the port
+        $this->server = strtolower($this->server ?? '');
         if ($this->port === null || $this->port === '') {
             switch ($this->driver) {
                 case self::DRIVER_MYSQL:
@@ -212,27 +180,7 @@ public function init()
                     $this->port = 5432;
                     break;
             }
-        } else {
-            $this->port = (int)$this->port;
-        }
-
-        // Set the DSN
-        if (!$this->dsn) {
-            $this->updateDsn();
-        }
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Updates the DSN string based on the config setting values.
-     */
-    public function updateDsn()
-    {
-        if (!$this->database) {
-            $this->dsn = null;
-        } else if ($this->driver === self::DRIVER_MYSQL && $this->unixSocket) {
-            $this->dsn = "{$this->driver}:unix_socket={$this->unixSocket};dbname={$this->database};";
-        } else {
-            $this->dsn = "{$this->driver}:host={$this->server};dbname={$this->database};port={$this->port};";
         }
+        $this->dsn = "{$this->driver}:host={$this->server};dbname={$this->database};port={$this->port}";
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/console/controllers/SetupController.php b/src/console/controllers/SetupController.php
index a81a5483cf9..51e2e65c75d 100644
--- a/src/console/controllers/SetupController.php
+++ b/src/console/controllers/SetupController.php
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class SetupController extends Controller
     /**
      * @var string|null The database username to connect with.
      */
-    public $user;
+    public $user = 'root';
     /**
      * @var string|null The database password to connect with.
      */
@@ -185,12 +185,6 @@ public function actionSecurityKey(): int
      */
     public function actionDbCreds(): int
     {
-        try {
-            $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
-        } catch (InvalidConfigException $e) {
-            $dbConfig = new DbConfig();
-        }
-
         $firstTime = true;
         $badUserCredentials = false;
 
@@ -202,60 +196,46 @@ public function actionDbCreds(): int
                 $this->stderr('--driver must be either "' . DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL . '" or "' . DbConfig::DRIVER_PGSQL . '".' . PHP_EOL, Console::FG_RED);
                 return ExitCode::USAGE;
             }
-            $dbConfig->driver = $this->driver;
         } else if ($this->interactive) {
-            $dbConfig->driver = $this->select('Which database driver are you using?', [
+            $this->driver = $this->select('Which database driver are you using?', [
                 DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL => 'MySQL',
                 DbConfig::DRIVER_PGSQL => 'PostgreSQL',
             ]);
         }
 
         // server
-        if ($this->server) {
-            $server = $this->server;
-        } else {
-            $server = $this->prompt('Database server name or IP address:', [
-                'required' => true,
-                'default' => $dbConfig->server ?: '127.0.0.1',
-            ]);
-        }
-        $dbConfig->server = strtolower($server);
+        $this->server = $this->prompt('Database server name or IP address:', [
+            'required' => true,
+            'default' => $this->server ?: '127.0.0.1',
+        ]);
+        $this->server = strtolower($this->server);
 
         // port
-        if ($this->port) {
-            $dbConfig->port = (int)$this->port;
+        if ($firstTime) {
+            $defaultPort = $this->driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL ? 3306 : 5432;
         } else {
-            if ($firstTime) {
-                $defaultPort = $dbConfig->driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL ? 3306 : 5432;
-            } else {
-                $defaultPort = $dbConfig->port;
-            }
-            $dbConfig->port = (int)$this->prompt('Database port:', [
-                'required' => true,
-                'default' => $defaultPort,
-                'validator' => function(string $input): bool {
-                    return is_numeric($input);
-                }
-            ]);
+            $defaultPort = $this->port;
         }
+        $this->port = $this->prompt('Database port:', [
+            'required' => true,
+            'default' => $defaultPort,
+            'validator' => function(string $input): bool {
+                return is_numeric($input);
+            }
+        ]);
+        $this->port = (int)$this->port;
 
         userCredentials:
 
         // user
-        if ($this->user) {
-            $dbConfig->user = $this->user;
-        } else {
-            $dbConfig->user = $this->prompt('Database username:', [
-                'default' => $dbConfig->user ?: null,
-            ]);
-        }
+        $this->user = $this->prompt('Database username:', [
+            'default' => $this->user ?: null,
+        ]);
 
         // password
-        if ($this->password) {
-            $dbConfig->password = $this->password;
-        } else if ($this->interactive) {
+        if ($this->interactive) {
             $this->stdout('Database password: ');
-            $dbConfig->password = CliPrompt::hiddenPrompt(true);
+            $this->password = CliPrompt::hiddenPrompt(true);
         }
 
         if ($badUserCredentials) {
@@ -264,60 +244,57 @@ public function actionDbCreds(): int
         }
 
         // database
-        if ($this->database) {
-            $dbConfig->database = $this->database;
-        } else if ($this->interactive || $dbConfig->database) {
-            $dbConfig->database = $this->prompt('Database name:', [
-                'required' => true,
-                'default' => $dbConfig->database ?: null,
-            ]);
-        } else {
+        if (!$this->interactive && !$this->database) {
             $this->stderr('The --database option must be set.' . PHP_EOL, Console::FG_RED);
             return ExitCode::USAGE;
         }
+        $this->database = $this->prompt('Database name:', [
+            'required' => true,
+            'default' => $this->database ?: null,
+        ]);
 
         // schema
-        if ($dbConfig->driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_PGSQL) {
-            if ($this->schema) {
-                $dbConfig->schema = $this->schema;
-            } else {
-                $dbConfig->schema = $this->prompt('Database schema:', [
-                    'required' => true,
-                    'default' => $dbConfig->schema ?: 'public',
-                ]);
-            }
+        if ($this->driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_PGSQL) {
+            $this->schema = $this->prompt('Database schema:', [
+                'required' => true,
+                'default' => $this->schema ?: 'public',
+            ]);
         }
 
         // tablePrefix
-        if ($this->tablePrefix) {
-            $tablePrefix = $this->tablePrefix;
-        } else {
-            $tablePrefix = $this->prompt('Database table prefix' . ($dbConfig->tablePrefix ? ' (type "none" for none)' : '') . ':', [
-                'default' => $dbConfig->tablePrefix ?: null,
-                'validator' => function(string $input): bool {
-                    if (strlen(StringHelper::ensureRight($input, '_')) > 6) {
-                        Console::stderr($this->ansiFormat('The table prefix must be 5 or less characters long.' . PHP_EOL, Console::FG_RED));
-                        return false;
-                    }
-                    return true;
+        $this->tablePrefix = $this->prompt('Database table prefix' . ($this->tablePrefix ? ' (type "none" for none)' : '') . ':', [
+            'default' => $this->tablePrefix ?: null,
+            'validator' => function(string $input): bool {
+                if (strlen(StringHelper::ensureRight($input, '_')) > 6) {
+                    Console::stderr($this->ansiFormat('The table prefix must be 5 or less characters long.' . PHP_EOL, Console::FG_RED));
+                    return false;
                 }
-            ]);
-        }
-        if ($tablePrefix && $tablePrefix !== 'none') {
-            $dbConfig->tablePrefix = StringHelper::ensureRight($tablePrefix, '_');
+                return true;
+            }
+        ]);
+        if ($this->tablePrefix && $this->tablePrefix !== 'none') {
+            $this->tablePrefix = StringHelper::ensureRight($this->tablePrefix, '_');
         } else {
-            $tablePrefix = $dbConfig->tablePrefix = '';
+            $this->tablePrefix = '';
         }
 
         // Test the DB connection
         $this->stdout('Testing database credentials ... ', Console::FG_YELLOW);
 
-        $originalServer = $dbConfig->server;
-        $originalPort = $dbConfig->port;
+        try {
+            $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
+        } catch (InvalidConfigException $e) {
+            $dbConfig = new DbConfig();
+        }
 
         test:
 
-        $dbConfig->updateDsn();
+        $dbConfig->dsn = "{$this->driver}:host={$this->server};port={$this->port};dbname={$this->database};";
+        $dbConfig->user = $this->user;
+        $dbConfig->password = $this->password;
+        $dbConfig->schema = $this->schema;
+        $dbConfig->tablePrefix = $this->tablePrefix;
+
         /** @var Connection $db */
         $db = Craft::createObject(App::dbConfig($dbConfig));
 
@@ -339,18 +316,18 @@ public function actionDbCreds(): int
             // Test some common issues
             $message = $pdoException->getMessage();
 
-            if ($dbConfig->server === 'localhost' && $message === 'SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] No such file or directory') {
+            if ($this->server === 'localhost' && $message === 'SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] No such file or directory') {
                 // means the Unix socket doesn't exist - https://stackoverflow.com/a/22927341/1688568
                 // try 127.0.0.1 instead...
                 $this->stdout('Trying with 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost ... ', Console::FG_YELLOW);
-                $dbConfig->server = '127.0.0.1';
+                $this->server = '127.0.0.1';
                 goto test;
             }
 
-            if ($dbConfig->port === 3306 && $message === 'SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection refused') {
+            if ($this->port === 3306 && $message === 'SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection refused') {
                 // try 8889 instead (default MAMP port)...
                 $this->stdout('Trying with port 8889 instead of 3306 ... ', Console::FG_YELLOW);
-                $dbConfig->port = 8889;
+                $this->port = 8889;
                 goto test;
             }
 
@@ -368,10 +345,6 @@ public function actionDbCreds(): int
                 return ExitCode::UNSPECIFIED_ERROR;
             }
 
-            // Restore the original server/port values
-            $dbConfig->server = $originalServer;
-            $dbConfig->port = $originalPort;
-
             $firstTime = false;
             goto top;
         }
@@ -383,14 +356,14 @@ public function actionDbCreds(): int
         $this->stdout('Saving database credentials to your .env file ... ', Console::FG_YELLOW);
 
         if (
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_DRIVER', $dbConfig->driver) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_SERVER', $dbConfig->server) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_PORT', $dbConfig->port) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_USER', $dbConfig->user) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_PASSWORD', $dbConfig->password) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_DATABASE', $dbConfig->database) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_SCHEMA', $dbConfig->schema) ||
-            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_TABLE_PREFIX', $tablePrefix)
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_DRIVER', $this->driver) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_SERVER', $this->server) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_PORT', $this->port) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_USER', $this->user) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_PASSWORD', $this->password) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_DATABASE', $this->database) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_SCHEMA', $this->schema) ||
+            !$this->_setEnvVar('DB_TABLE_PREFIX', $this->tablePrefix)
         ) {
             return ExitCode::UNSPECIFIED_ERROR;
         }
diff --git a/src/controllers/InstallController.php b/src/controllers/InstallController.php
index 9a30d2f5b70..27e945c6ba6 100644
--- a/src/controllers/InstallController.php
+++ b/src/controllers/InstallController.php
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 use craft\errors\DbConnectException;
 use craft\helpers\App;
 use craft\helpers\ArrayHelper;
+use craft\helpers\Db;
 use craft\helpers\Install as InstallHelper;
 use craft\helpers\StringHelper;
 use craft\migrations\Install;
@@ -127,17 +128,17 @@ public function actionValidateDb()
 
         $dbConfig = new DbConfig();
         $this->_populateDbConfig($dbConfig);
-
+        $parsed = Db::parseDsn($dbConfig->dsn);
         $errors = [];
 
         // Catch any low hanging fruit first
-        if (!$dbConfig->port) {
+        if (empty($parsed['port'])) {
             // Only possible if it was not numeric
             $errors['port'][] = Craft::t('yii', '{attribute} must be an integer.', [
                 'attribute' => Craft::t('app', 'Port')
             ]);
         }
-        if (!$dbConfig->database) {
+        if (empty($parsed['dbname'])) {
             $errors['database'][] = Craft::t('yii', '{attribute} cannot be blank.', [
                 'attribute' => Craft::t('app', 'Database Name')
             ]);
@@ -148,7 +149,6 @@ public function actionValidateDb()
 
         if (empty($errors)) {
             // Test the connection
-            $dbConfig->updateDsn();
             /** @var Connection $db */
             $db = Craft::createObject(App::dbConfig($dbConfig));
 
@@ -246,14 +246,11 @@ public function actionInstall(): Response
             $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
             $this->_populateDbConfig($dbConfig, 'db-');
 
-            $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_DRIVER', $dbConfig->driver);
-            $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_SERVER', $dbConfig->server);
+            $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_DSN', $dbConfig->dsn);
             $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_USER', $dbConfig->user);
             $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_PASSWORD', $dbConfig->password);
-            $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_DATABASE', $dbConfig->database);
             $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_SCHEMA', $dbConfig->schema);
             $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_TABLE_PREFIX', $dbConfig->tablePrefix);
-            $configService->setDotEnvVar('DB_PORT', $dbConfig->port);
 
             // Update the db component based on new values
             /** @var Connection $db */
@@ -330,14 +327,9 @@ private function _canControlDbConfig(): bool
 
         // Map the DB settings we definitely care about to their environment variable names
         $vars = [
-            'driver' => 'DB_DRIVER',
-            'server' => 'DB_SERVER',
+            'dsn' => 'DB_DSN',
             'user' => 'DB_USER',
             'password' => 'DB_PASSWORD',
-            'database' => 'DB_DATABASE',
-            //'DB_SCHEMA',
-            //'DB_TABLE_PREFIX',
-            //'DB_PORT',
         ];
 
         // Save the current environment variable values, and set temporary ones
@@ -382,17 +374,18 @@ private function _populateDbConfig(DbConfig $dbConfig, string $prefix = '')
     {
         $request = Craft::$app->getRequest();
 
-        $dbConfig->dsn = null;
-        $dbConfig->url = null;
-        $dbConfig->driver = $request->getRequiredBodyParam($prefix . 'driver');
-        $dbConfig->server = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'server') ?: 'localhost';
-        $dbConfig->port = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'port');
-        $dbConfig->user = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'user') ?: 'root';
-        $dbConfig->password = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'password');
-        $dbConfig->database = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'database');
-        $dbConfig->schema = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'schema') ?: 'public';
-        $dbConfig->tablePrefix = $request->getBodyParam($prefix . 'tablePrefix');
-
-        $dbConfig->init();
+        $driver = $request->getRequiredBodyParam("{$prefix}driver");
+        $server = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}server") ?: 'localhost';
+        $database = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}database");
+        $port = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}port");
+        if ($port === null || $port === '') {
+            $port = $driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL ? 3306 : 5432;
+        }
+
+        $dbConfig->dsn = "{$driver}:host={$server};port={$port};dbname={$database}";
+        $dbConfig->user = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}user") ?: 'root';
+        $dbConfig->password = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}password");
+        $dbConfig->schema = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}schema") ?: 'public';
+        $dbConfig->tablePrefix = $request->getBodyParam("{$prefix}tablePrefix");
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/controllers/TemplatesController.php b/src/controllers/TemplatesController.php
index 76e8d4736fe..7199dbb614f 100644
--- a/src/controllers/TemplatesController.php
+++ b/src/controllers/TemplatesController.php
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@
 namespace craft\controllers;
 
 use Craft;
+use craft\config\DbConfig;
 use craft\helpers\App;
+use craft\helpers\Db;
 use craft\helpers\Template;
 use craft\web\Controller;
 use ErrorException;
@@ -158,7 +160,7 @@ public function actionRequirementsCheck()
         $reqCheck = new \RequirementsChecker();
         $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
         $reqCheck->dsn = $dbConfig->dsn;
-        $reqCheck->dbDriver = $dbConfig->driver;
+        $reqCheck->dbDriver = $dbConfig->dsn ? Db::parseDsn($dbConfig->dsn, 'driver') : DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL;
         $reqCheck->dbUser = $dbConfig->user;
         $reqCheck->dbPassword = $dbConfig->password;
 
diff --git a/src/db/Connection.php b/src/db/Connection.php
index 6b784f86ed7..cec09c2f438 100644
--- a/src/db/Connection.php
+++ b/src/db/Connection.php
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 use craft\events\BackupEvent;
 use craft\events\RestoreEvent;
 use craft\helpers\App;
+use craft\helpers\Db;
 use craft\helpers\FileHelper;
 use craft\helpers\StringHelper;
 use mikehaertl\shellcommand\Command as ShellCommand;
@@ -553,15 +554,17 @@ private function _createShellCommand(string $command): ShellCommand
      */
     private function _parseCommandTokens(string $command, $file): string
     {
-        $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
+        $parsed = Db::parseDsn($this->dsn);
+        $username = $this->getIsPgsql() && !empty($parsed['user']) ? $parsed['user'] : $this->username;
+        $password = $this->getIsPgsql() && !empty($parsed['password']) ? $parsed['password'] : $this->password;
         $tokens = [
             '{file}' => $file,
-            '{port}' => $dbConfig->port,
-            '{server}' => $dbConfig->server,
-            '{user}' => $dbConfig->user,
-            '{password}' => addslashes(str_replace('$', '\\$', $dbConfig->password)),
-            '{database}' => $dbConfig->database,
-            '{schema}' => $dbConfig->schema,
+            '{port}' => $parsed['port'] ?? '',
+            '{server}' => $parsed['host'] ?? '',
+            '{user}' => $username,
+            '{password}' => addslashes(str_replace('$', '\\$', $password)),
+            '{database}' => $parsed['dbname'] ?? '',
+            '{schema}' => $this->getSchema()->defaultSchema ?? '',
         ];
 
         return str_replace(array_keys($tokens), $tokens, $command);
diff --git a/src/db/mysql/Schema.php b/src/db/mysql/Schema.php
index fc24017fa1f..a7cbedd74f8 100644
--- a/src/db/mysql/Schema.php
+++ b/src/db/mysql/Schema.php
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 use Craft;
 use craft\db\TableSchema;
+use craft\helpers\Db;
 use craft\helpers\FileHelper;
 use yii\db\Exception;
 
@@ -310,15 +311,17 @@ private function _createDumpConfigFile(): string
     {
         $filePath = Craft::$app->getPath()->getTempPath() . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'my.cnf';
 
-        $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
+        $parsed = Db::parseDsn($this->db->dsn);
+        $username = $this->db->getIsPgsql() && !empty($parsed['user']) ? $parsed['user'] : $this->db->username;
+        $password = $this->db->getIsPgsql() && !empty($parsed['password']) ? $parsed['password'] : $this->db->password;
         $contents = '[client]' . PHP_EOL .
-            'user=' . $dbConfig->user . PHP_EOL .
-            'password="' . addslashes($dbConfig->password) . '"' . PHP_EOL .
-            'host=' . $dbConfig->server . PHP_EOL .
-            'port=' . $dbConfig->port;
+            'user=' . $username . PHP_EOL .
+            'password="' . addslashes($password) . '"' . PHP_EOL .
+            'host=' . ($parsed['host'] ?? '') . PHP_EOL .
+            'port=' . ($parsed['port'] ?? '');
 
-        if ($dbConfig->unixSocket) {
-            $contents .= PHP_EOL . 'socket=' . $dbConfig->unixSocket;
+        if (isset($parsed['unix_socket'])) {
+            $contents .= PHP_EOL . 'socket=' . $parsed['unix_socket'];
         }
 
         FileHelper::writeToFile($filePath, $contents);
diff --git a/src/helpers/App.php b/src/helpers/App.php
index c673e9d6182..581117c0a36 100644
--- a/src/helpers/App.php
+++ b/src/helpers/App.php
@@ -394,7 +394,9 @@ public static function dbConfig(DbConfig $dbConfig = null): array
             $dbConfig = Craft::$app->getConfig()->getDb();
         }
 
-        if ($dbConfig->driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL) {
+        $driver = $dbConfig->dsn ? Db::parseDsn($dbConfig->dsn, 'driver') : DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL;
+
+        if ($driver === DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL) {
             $schemaConfig = [
                 'class' => MysqlSchema::class,
             ];
@@ -407,17 +409,17 @@ public static function dbConfig(DbConfig $dbConfig = null): array
 
         return [
             'class' => Connection::class,
-            'driverName' => $dbConfig->driver,
+            'driverName' => $driver,
             'dsn' => $dbConfig->dsn,
             'username' => $dbConfig->user,
             'password' => $dbConfig->password,
             'charset' => $dbConfig->charset,
             'tablePrefix' => $dbConfig->tablePrefix,
             'schemaMap' => [
-                $dbConfig->driver => $schemaConfig,
+                $driver => $schemaConfig,
             ],
             'commandMap' => [
-                $dbConfig->driver => Command::class,
+                $driver => Command::class,
             ],
             'attributes' => $dbConfig->attributes,
             'enableSchemaCache' => !YII_DEBUG,
diff --git a/src/helpers/Db.php b/src/helpers/Db.php
index 46afab3c13d..3ef8d16cd66 100644
--- a/src/helpers/Db.php
+++ b/src/helpers/Db.php
@@ -9,10 +9,12 @@
 
 use Craft;
 use craft\base\Serializable;
+use craft\config\DbConfig;
 use craft\db\Connection;
 use craft\db\mysql\Schema as MysqlSchema;
 use craft\db\Query;
 use yii\base\Exception;
+use yii\base\InvalidArgumentException;
 use yii\base\NotSupportedException;
 use yii\db\Schema;
 
@@ -741,6 +743,105 @@ public static function uidsByIds(string $table, array $ids): array
             ->pairs();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Parses a DSN string and returns an array with the `driver` and any driver params, or just a single key.
+     *
+     * @param string $dsn
+     * @param string|null $key The key that is needed from the DSN. If this is
+     * @return array|string|false The full array, or the specific key value, or `false` if `$key` is a param that
+     * doesn’t exist in the DSN string.
+     * @throws InvalidArgumentException if $dsn is invalid
+     * @since 3.4.0
+     */
+    public static function parseDsn(string $dsn, string $key = null)
+    {
+        if (($pos = strpos($dsn, ':')) === false) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException('Invalid DSN: ' . $dsn);
+        }
+
+        $driver = strtolower(substr($dsn, 0, $pos));
+        if ($key === 'driver') {
+            return $driver;
+        }
+        if ($key === null) {
+            $parsed = [
+                'driver' => $driver,
+            ];
+        }
+
+        $params = substr($dsn, $pos + 1);
+        foreach (ArrayHelper::filterEmptyStringsFromArray(explode(';', $params)) as $param) {
+            list($n, $v) = array_pad(explode('=', $param, 2), 2, '');
+            if ($key === $n) {
+                return $v;
+            }
+            if ($key === null) {
+                $parsed[$n] = $v;
+            }
+        }
+        if ($key === null) {
+            return $parsed;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generates a DB config from a database connection URL.
+     *
+     * This can be used from `config/db.php`:
+     * ---
+     * ```php
+     * $url = getenv('DB_URL');
+     * return craft\helpers\Db::url2config($url);
+     * ```
+     *
+     * @param string $url
+     * @return array
+     * @since 3.4.0
+     */
+    public static function url2config(string $url): array
+    {
+        $parsed = parse_url($url);
+
+        if (!isset($parsed['scheme'])) {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException('Invalid URL: ' . $url);
+        }
+
+        $config = [];
+
+        // user & password
+        if (isset($parsed['user'])) {
+            $config['user'] = $parsed['user'];
+        }
+        if (isset($parsed['pass'])) {
+            $config['password'] = $parsed['pass'];
+        }
+
+        // URL scheme => driver
+        if (in_array(strtolower($parsed['scheme']), ['pgsql', 'postgres', 'postgresql'], true)) {
+            $driver = DbConfig::DRIVER_PGSQL;
+        } else {
+            $driver = DbConfig::DRIVER_MYSQL;
+        }
+
+        // DSN params
+        $checkParams = [
+            'host' => 'host',
+            'port' => 'port',
+            'path' => 'dbname',
+        ];
+        $dsnParams = [];
+        foreach ($checkParams as $urlParam => $dsnParam) {
+            if (isset($parsed[$urlParam])) {
+                $dsnParams[] = "{$dsnParam}={$parsed[$urlParam]}";
+            }
+        }
+
+        $config['dsn'] = "{$driver}:" . implode(';', $dsnParams);
+
+        return $config;
+    }
+
     // Private Methods
     // =========================================================================
 
diff --git a/src/test/Craft.php b/src/test/Craft.php
index 412b446e46e..e93ec1264bf 100644
--- a/src/test/Craft.php
+++ b/src/test/Craft.php
@@ -336,14 +336,11 @@ public static function normalizePathSeparators($path)
     public static function createDbConfig(): DbConfig
     {
         return new DbConfig([
-            'password' => getenv('DB_PASSWORD'),
+            'dsn' => getenv('DB_DSN'),
             'user' => getenv('DB_USER'),
-            'database' => getenv('DB_DATABASE'),
+            'password' => getenv('DB_PASSWORD'),
             'tablePrefix' => getenv('DB_TABLE_PREFIX'),
-            'driver' => getenv('DB_DRIVER'),
-            'port' => getenv('DB_PORT'),
             'schema' => getenv('DB_SCHEMA'),
-            'server' => getenv('DB_SERVER'),
         ]);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.mysql b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.mysql
index bda549b78ac..37649e92eac 100644
--- a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.mysql
+++ b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.mysql
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 # Set in accordance to your environment
 
-DB_DRIVER="mysql"
-DB_SERVER="localhost"
+DB_DSN="mysql:host=localhost;port=3306;dbname=craft-test"
 DB_USER="root"
 DB_PASSWORD=""
-DB_DATABASE="craft-test"
-DB_SCHEMA=""
 DB_TABLE_PREFIX="craft"
-DB_PORT="3306"
+
 SECURITY_KEY="abcde12345"
diff --git a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.pgsql b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.pgsql
index 6cb16cc1d1e..efb42177eb0 100644
--- a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.pgsql
+++ b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/.env.example.pgsql
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 # Set in accordance to your environment
 
-DB_DRIVER="pgsql"
-DB_SERVER="localhost"
+DB_DSN="pgsql:host=localhost;port=5432;dbname=craft-test"
 DB_USER="postgres"
 DB_PASSWORD=""
-DB_DATABASE="craft-test"
 DB_SCHEMA="public"
-DB_TABLE_PREFIX=""
-DB_PORT="5432"
+DB_TABLE_PREFIX="craft"
+
 SECURITY_KEY="abcde12345"
diff --git a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/_craft/config/db.php b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/_craft/config/db.php
index 7357a6c750f..64c3ecfca83 100644
--- a/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/_craft/config/db.php
+++ b/src/test/internal/example-test-suite/tests/_craft/config/db.php
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
 <?php
 
 return [
-    'password' => getenv('DB_PASSWORD'),
+    'dsn' => getenv('DB_DSN'),
     'user' => getenv('DB_USER'),
-    'database' => getenv('DB_DATABASE'),
-    'tablePrefix' => getenv('DB_TABLE_PREFIX'),
-    'driver' => getenv('DB_DRIVER'),
-    'port' => getenv('DB_PORT'),
+    'password' => getenv('DB_PASSWORD'),
     'schema' => getenv('DB_SCHEMA'),
-    'server' => getenv('DB_SERVER'),
+    'tablePrefix' => getenv('DB_TABLE_PREFIX'),
 ];