AWS RDS Support
AWS RDS Proxy setup and tuning.
RDS Proxy sits between your application and the database and shares a pool of connections. It prevents connection storms from Lambda and autoscaling apps and shortens recovery after failover, but it needs the right configuration to deliver those benefits.
When You Need This
The situations where this work pays for itself.
Signs it is time
- You see too many connections errors on RDS or Aurora
- Lambda functions open a connection per invocation
- Failovers cause long application outages
- Database CPU and memory are consumed by connection overhead
- You want IAM authentication without changing application logins
What you get
- Proxy architecture and infrastructure as code
- Tuned pool settings with before and after connection graphs
- Application connection changes and test results
- Alarms for pinned connections and borrow timeouts
How we do it
A clear, safe process you can follow along with.
1. Check that a proxy will help
We review connection counts, max_connections and workload shape. Long-lived sessions and heavy session state limit the benefit.
2. Design networking and security
The proxy runs in your VPC. We set subnets, security groups and TLS so only your applications can reach it.
3. Store credentials in Secrets Manager
The proxy reads database credentials from Secrets Manager. We create the secrets and the IAM role it needs.
4. Tune pooling settings
We set maximum connections percentage, idle behavior and borrow timeout from real load.
5. Point applications at the proxy endpoint
We change connection strings, and configure the read-only endpoint for read replicas where useful.
6. Watch for pinning
Session-level state can pin a client to one connection and defeat sharing. We find and remove the causes using proxy metrics.
Mistakes we help you avoid
Common ways this goes wrong, and what we do instead.
Expecting a proxy to fix slow queries
A proxy manages connections, not query speed. We tune queries separately.
Ignoring pinning
Statements that set session state keep connections pinned and remove the benefit. We refactor them.
Leaving the proxy open
We restrict network access and require TLS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which databases does RDS Proxy support?
It supports RDS and Aurora engines including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB and SQL Server. Check current support for your exact version.
Does RDS Proxy speed up failover?
It can, because the proxy keeps application connections and reconnects to the new primary, which reduces the impact of a failover.
Does RDS Proxy cost extra?
Yes, it is billed by the database capacity it fronts. We weigh it against the cost of scaling the database to handle connection overhead.
Want Help With AWS RDS Proxy setup and tuning?
Schedule an appointment. Tell us about your environment and we will outline the safest, highest-value approach.
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