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ShardingSphere-Proxy

shardingsphere.apache.org

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Spec score 7.5 #19 of 31 in Database Proxy Software

What it is

ShardingSphere-Proxy is a self-hosted database proxy that gives clients a database server interface over a binary protocol. Its listed client protocols are MySQL, PostgreSQL, openGauss, and Firebird. It distributes storage and computing across underlying databases through sharding, and provides distributed transactions with a hybrid XA and BASE engine. Read/write splitting balances reads using SQL semantics and awareness of database topology. Other capabilities include migration with sharding, federated queries, transparent encryption, and data masking.

You can deploy it from a binary distribution, as a Docker image, or with Helm. The binary requires Java JRE 8 or higher; Docker needs no additional dependency. For a MySQL backend, the Proxy ext-lib directory needs mysql-connector-j-8.4.0.jar. The project is free at free. Support for system databases and tables such as information_schema and pg_catalog is limited, and some graphical database clients may show errors.

Spec sheet

Purpose
ShardingSphere-Proxy is a transparent database proxy that provides a database server using a binary protocol for heterogeneous programming languages.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Deployment
ShardingSphere-Proxy is available as a binary distribution, Docker image and Helm deployment.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Founded
2018Read 28 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Data protection
The encryption module is designed to provide transparent data encryption, and ShardingSphere also lists data masking as a feature area.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Distributed transactions
The project provides distributed transaction capabilities using a hybrid engine based on XA and BASE transactions.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Known limitation
Support for system databases and tables such as information_schema and pg_catalog is limited, and some graphical database clients may show errors.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Migration and federation
Features include data migration with sharding and federated queries across data sources.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
MySQL dependency
For a MySQL backend, the quick start instructs users to add mysql-connector-j-8.4.0.jar to the Proxy ext-lib directory.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Read/write splitting
Read/write splitting supports load balancing for reads based on SQL semantics and awareness of the underlying database topology.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Release integrity
The downloads page recommends verifying release files with GPG or SHA-512 signatures.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Runtime requirement
The binary distribution requires Java JRE 8 or higher, while running it with Docker requires no additional dependency.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Sharding
Data sharding distributes storage and computing across underlying databases to scale horizontally.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org
Supported protocols
The Proxy quick start says it theoretically supports client operations using MySQL, PostgreSQL, openGauss and Firebird protocols.Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org

Plans and prices

Apache ShardingSphere-Proxy Free Open-source binary distribution · Docker and Helm deployment Read 30 Sep 2026 · shardingsphere.apache.org

Every ShardingSphere-Proxy plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free at free.
  • Supports four listed client protocols.
  • Offers binary, Docker, and Helm deployment.
  • Includes sharding, read/write splitting, and migration.

Limits

  • Binary deployment requires Java JRE 8 or higher.
  • MySQL backends need a connector in ext-lib.
  • System database and table support is limited.

Who it suits

It suits teams that need a self-hosted proxy for routing, sharding, or distributed transactions across databases. Its deployment options include a binary, Docker, and Helm.

Verdict

ShardingSphere-Proxy combines database proxying with sharding, transaction, and migration capabilities. Check its Java or MySQL connector requirements and system-database limitations against your setup.

Where Specifiction places it

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