# mariadb-corporation/MaxScale

An intelligent database proxy.

Repository: https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/MaxScale
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/maxscale
Homepage: https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/MaxScale/wiki
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-01-08T14:08:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 60/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 61, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4643, "days_push": 237, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1496, forks 350 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:53.528936+00:00)

## What it is
MariaDB MaxScale is an intelligent database proxy that forwards database statements to one or more backend database servers using complex rules and semantic understanding of statements. It provides transparent load balancing, high availability, and a plugin architecture for protocols and routing decisions.

## Use cases
- load balance queries across a MariaDB replica cluster
- split reads and writes transparently to the application
- fail over automatically when a primary database server dies
- filter and rewrite SQL statements before they reach the database
- add a caching layer in front of MariaDB without changing app code
- hide database topology changes from application connection strings

## When to choose
- you run a MariaDB or MySQL cluster and need transparent load balancing and failover
- you want read/write splitting without modifying application code
- you need query filtering, rewriting, or masking at the proxy layer
- you want high availability for database connections in production

## When to avoid
- you use a database other than MariaDB or MySQL
- you need a fully open-source license - MaxScale is under the Business Source License until its change date
- you have a single small database server where a proxy adds unnecessary complexity
- you need a lightweight client-side driver rather than a server-side proxy

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: active
- function: proxy, routing, middleware, database
- domain: databases, backend, self-hosted
- platform: self-hosted, web-server
- tags: database-proxy, mariadb, mysql, high-availability, query-routing, read-write-splitting, connection-pooling, bsl-license, load-balancing, infrastructure, linux

## Member repositories
- mariadb-corporation/MaxScale (main) score 60

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:53.528936+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:33:13.938195+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/MaxScale (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:53.528936+00:00, sha 03cb5063cc9f)
  - homepage: https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/MaxScale/wiki (fetched 2026-08-29T11:38:28.688311+00:00, sha 2ceea85568a5)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.