What is Connection Pooling?
Connection pooling maintains a cache of open database connections that your app reuses instead of opening a new one for every request. It dramatically reduces latency and prevents your database from being overwhelmed.
In plain English
Think of a connection pool like a fleet of company cars. Instead of buying a new car every time an employee needs to drive somewhere and scrapping it afterward, you maintain a shared fleet that anyone can grab and return. Fewer cars, same number of trips.
How it works
Opening a database connection is expensive — it involves network handshakes, authentication, and memory allocation. A connection pool opens a set number of connections at startup and hands them out to requests as needed. When a request finishes, the connection goes back to the pool instead of being closed.
Why it matters for AI-built apps
Serverless and edge deployments — common in AI-built stacks — spin up fresh function instances constantly, each trying to open a new database connection. Without a pool, you can exhaust your database's connection limit within minutes of a traffic spike. Tools like PgBouncer or Supabase's built-in pooler solve this transparently.
Best practices
Set pool size based on your database's max_connections limit divided by the number of app instances. Use transaction-mode pooling for serverless environments rather than session-mode. Monitor active vs. idle connections to tune pool size over time.
Frequently asked questions
Does Supabase include connection pooling?
Yes — Supabase includes PgBouncer and a newer Supavisor pooler. Use the pooler connection string (port 6543) rather than the direct connection (port 5432) for most apps.
What happens if all connections in the pool are busy?
Requests queue until a connection is available or a timeout is reached. If this happens regularly, you need a larger pool or fewer open connections per instance.
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