What ProxySQL does

ProxySQL is a privately held, founder-led software company that develops and maintains ProxySQL, a protocol-aware SQL proxy for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse. The product, originally released in 2013 by founder and CEO René Cannaò under a GPLv3 license, is positioned as the single proxy layer for polyglot database infrastructures, supporting native wire protocols of MySQL 5.7 through 9.x, PostgreSQL 13–18, MariaDB, Percona Server, Amazon RDS/Aurora, Google Cloud SQL/AlloyDB, Azure Database, and distributed engines such as CockroachDB, YugabyteDB, Vitess, and ClickHouse.

The proxy itself is written in C++ as an asynchronous, multi-threaded, event-driven engine built on libev with jemalloc memory management, lock-free statistics via thread-local storage, and compiled regex caching using RE2/PCRE. Its architecture is built around a multi-layer configuration system (Runtime, Memory, Disk, Config File) backed by SQLite, peer-to-peer cluster convergence, connection multiplexing capable of handling 100,000+ client connections with a few hundred backend connections, query digest normalization, query routing, sharding, query mirroring, database firewall functionality, and a Prometheus exporter. The 2026 product line is organized into three release tiers: Stable (3.0.x), Innovation (3.1.x with embedded TSDB and FFTO observability), and AI/MCP (4.0.x with Model Context Protocol server, NL2SQL, RAG tools, and AI agent integration). In April 2026 the company acquired Orchestrator, extending its scope into MySQL topology and failover management.

ProxySQL operates an open source plus commercial dual model: a free community edition under GPLv3 plus paid Professional (24x7 support, Gold/Platinum subscriptions) and Enterprise tiers (Express SLA, health monitoring, custom feature development). Additional revenue streams include consulting, training, and managed DBRE services for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and cloud environments. Distribution is via GitHub, APT/YUM repos, DockerHub, Helm charts, and direct enterprise sales; there are no disclosed channel partners, resellers, or external investors. The company is headquartered as a remote/distributed organization with 11–50 employees, led by CEO René Cannaò, COO Jesmar Cannaò, and CTO Ronald Bradford.

Name

ProxySQL

Legal name

ProxySQL

Website

https://proxysql.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ProxySQL is a privately held open source software company founded in 2013 that develops a protocol-aware SQL proxy for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse, monetized via Professional and Enterprise support subscriptions, consulting, and custom development, serving organizations running database infrastructure at scale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Database Proxy Software

akta.pro primary industry

Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) (HDAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) (HDABAHAD)

Keywords

• Database proxy
• MySQL load balancing
• PostgreSQL proxy
• Connection pooling
• Query routing

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Open Source (Community): Free open source version under GPLv3 license. Includes all ProxySQL Core Features and community support channels. Used for small projects and feature evaluation.
2. Professional Support: 24x7x365 support with Gold/Platinum subscription tiers, high priority bug fixes, and architecture solution design. Includes Web UI Administration.
3. Enterprise Support: Scale-out infrastructure support including ProxySQL Express SLA, SLA guarantees, health monitoring & alerting, MySQL/Amazon RDS/Percona support, and custom feature development.
4. Professional Services: MySQL & MariaDB Support, PostgreSQL Support, Cloud & Hybrid Managed Services (AWS, GCP, Azure), and Custom Development & Extensions.
5. Consulting: Architecture reviews, performance assessments, and migration planning delivered by ProxySQL's expert engineering team.
6. Training: Structured training programs for engineering teams covering ProxySQL deployment, configuration, and day-to-day operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ProxySQL is a high-performance, protocol-aware SQL proxy for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse that provides connection multiplexing, query routing, read/write splitting, sharding, query caching, query mirroring, automatic failover, and a SQL firewall. The core proxy is distributed as open source under GPLv3 and is sold alongside commercial Professional and Enterprise support subscriptions, plus professional services, consulting, and training.

Product overview

ProxySQL is a unified SQL proxy platform providing high-performance, protocol-aware database traffic management. The product portfolio includes three main release tiers: ProxySQL 3.0.x (Stable Tier) for production deployments with core proxy functionality, 3.1.x (Innovation Tier) adding FFTO and embedded TSDB for observability, and 4.0.x (AI/MCP Tier) for AI agent integration. The platform supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse protocols natively. Key capabilities include connection multiplexing, query routing, read/write split, sharding, query caching, failover detection, and database firewall. AI/ML features are delivered through MCP (Model Context Protocol) including Query Tools, RAG Tools, and NL2SQL for natural language database interaction. Commercial tiers range from free Community support to Professional (24x7 SLA-backed) and Enterprise (custom development) offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ProxySQL Open Source Proxy Free, high-performance protocol-aware SQL proxy software for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse, distributed under GPLv3 with all ProxySQL Core Features, available via GitHub, APT/YUM, DockerHub, and Kubernetes Helm charts. Targets developers, startups, and small projects evaluating or running small-scale deployments.
• ProxySQL Professional Support Annual subscription offering 24x7x365 support with Gold and Platinum subscription tiers, high priority bug fixes, architecture solution design, and Web UI administration. Targeted at production environments requiring reliability beyond community support.
• ProxySQL Enterprise Support Enterprise subscription tier with ProxySQL Express SLA, defined response times (15 minutes or 2 hours), SLA guarantees, health monitoring and alerting, support for MySQL/Amazon RDS/Percona deployments, and custom feature development for scale-out infrastructure at large organizations.
• ProxySQL Professional Services Professional services engagements including MySQL & MariaDB Support, PostgreSQL Support, Cloud & Hybrid Managed Services across AWS, GCP, and Azure, and Custom Development & Extensions delivered by ProxySQL's expert engineering team.
• ProxySQL Consulting Expert consulting engagements covering architecture reviews, performance assessments, and migration planning delivered by ProxySQL's engineering team for organizations running MySQL and PostgreSQL at scale.
• ProxySQL Training Structured training programs for engineering teams covering ProxySQL deployment, configuration, and day-to-day operations, delivered by the ProxySQL team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handles 100k+ client connections with just a few hundred backend connections through connection multiplexing

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OrchestratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026ProxySQL officially took over the maintenance and development of Orchestrator in April 2026, ensuring a bright future for the industry-standard database topology management tool. This strengthens ProxySQL's high availability and failover capabilities.
• PerconacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProxySQL actively participates in Percona Live conferences annually, presenting technical sessions and engaging with the database community. At Percona Live 2026 in Mountain View, CA, ProxySQL presented 'A Perfect Complement to PostgreSQL' and engaged with database professionals across MySQL, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, and AI topics.
• MySQL (Oracle)coreTechnology or IntegrationNative protocol support for MySQL 5.7, 8.0, 8.4, 9.x wire protocol. Deep integration with MySQL Group Replication, MySQL InnoDB Cluster, MySQL NDB Cluster, and GTID awareness.
• PostgreSQL Global Development GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationNative protocol support for PostgreSQL 13-18 with full extended query protocol, prepared statement caching, and replication awareness.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MySQL Router: Oracle's official lightweight router for MySQL InnoDB Cluster, providing connection routing and failover. A direct competitor in the MySQL proxy space with the advantage of Oracle/MySQL vendor backing.
• Vitess: Open source distributed database clustering system for MySQL originally built at YouTube, providing connection pooling, query routing, and sharding. Directly comparable to ProxySQL as a MySQL-focused proxy/clustering layer with enterprise backing (PlanetScale).
• PgBouncer: Lightweight open source connection pooler for PostgreSQL. Competes with ProxySQL on the PostgreSQL connection-pooling use case, though it lacks ProxySQL's protocol-aware query routing and rewriting.
• HAProxy: Widely deployed open source TCP/HTTP load balancer frequently used as a generic database proxy. Competes with ProxySQL at the load-balancing layer, though HAProxy is not protocol-aware for MySQL/PostgreSQL wire protocols.
• MariaDB MaxScale: MariaDB's database proxy for MySQL/MariaDB with load balancing, read/write splitting, and query filtering. Direct competitor offering similar protocol-aware proxy capabilities with the backing of an integrated database vendor.

Broad incumbents

• PlanetScale: Serverless MySQL platform built on Vitess that offers native connection pooling, branching, and sharding. Listed as a ProxySQL integration partner but competes indirectly by providing built-in proxy features as part of a managed database offering.
• AWS RDS Proxy: Amazon's fully managed database proxy for Amazon RDS and Aurora offering connection pooling and failover as a managed cloud service. Competes with ProxySQL by bundling proxy capabilities into the AWS managed database stack.
• Percona: Open source database services and software company (Percona Server, Percona XtraDB Cluster, Percona Distribution for PostgreSQL). Comparable as a commercial entity monetizing open source database infrastructure with support and consulting, and a key ProxySQL GTM partner.

Emerging players

• CockroachDB: Distributed SQL database compatible with the PostgreSQL wire protocol, supported by ProxySQL. Comparable as a database platform whose built-in routing/connection management reduces the need for an external proxy for some use cases.
• Crunchy Bridge / Crunchy Data: Managed PostgreSQL provider offering connection pooling, high availability, and observability for Postgres. Competes with ProxySQL on PostgreSQL workloads in the managed services segment, including via PgBouncer integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/sysown/proxysql
• Xx.com/proxysql
• Facebookfacebook.com/proxysql
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proxysql

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProxySQL