Database Connections and Connection Pooling
Every time your application talks to its database it needs a connection. Opening one is surprisingly expensive, and under load, opening a fresh connection for every request quickly exhausts the server.
Connection pooling solves this by keeping a set of ready-made connections that requests borrow and return, dramatically improving performance and stability.
The Problem Without Pooling
Databases allow only a limited number of connections at once. A busy site without pooling can hit that ceiling and start refusing requests, even though the hardware has plenty of capacity left.
How a Pool Helps
- Connections are reused instead of constantly recreated.
- The total number is capped to protect the database.
- Requests wait briefly rather than failing outright.
Tuning It for Your Traffic
The right pool size is a balance: too small and requests queue up needlessly; too large and the database itself is overwhelmed. We size the pool to match your expected traffic and the limits of your database, then monitor it in production and adjust as your usage grows. This is the kind of quiet tuning that keeps a busy site feeling fast.
| Setting | Too low | Too high |
|---|---|---|
| Pool size | Requests queue and slow | Database overwhelmed |
| Idle timeout | Connections churn | Resources wasted |
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.