HeliosProxy vs ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy

HeliosProxy8.7Visit ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy8.0Visit

Higher score HeliosProxy #5 in Database Proxy Software 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit HeliosProxy

vs

ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy #12 in Database Proxy Software 8.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Alibaba Cloud

• HeliosProxy fits best

  Advanced PostgreSQL proxy engineering

• ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy fits best

  Managed MySQL proxying on Alibaba Cloud

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Side by side

Feature	HeliosProxy 8.7/10 Visit ↗	ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.0
Ranking	#5 in Database Proxy Software	#12 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Advanced PostgreSQL proxy engineering	Managed MySQL proxying on Alibaba Cloud
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Open source	—
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Support	Docs, Community	Live chat, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features HeliosProxy 4/4 · ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy 4/4
Connection pooling	✓	✓
Query routing	✓	✓
Load balancing	✓	✓
Automatic failover	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Managed
Supported databases	PostgreSQL-compatible databases	MySQL
Maximum connections	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Session, transaction, and statement connection pooling modes Routing, load balancing, health monitoring, and automatic failover WASM plugins, traffic replay, and major-version upgrade orchestration	Automatic read/write and transaction splitting Connection pooling with persistent connections during failover SSL endpoints with single-zone or dual-zone deployment
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires customer-managed infrastructure Database support centers on PostgreSQL-compatible backends Advanced capabilities may require PostgreSQL proxy engineering expertise	Designed specifically for Alibaba Cloud RDS for MySQL Dedicated proxies use pay-as-you-go pricing Does not cover databases outside MySQL
Our verdict	HeliosProxy is an open-source PostgreSQL data-plane for routing database connections and traffic between clients and PostgreSQL-compatible backends. It is designed for teams operating self-hosted PostgreSQL environments that need more… Read the review →	ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy is a managed network proxy for Alibaba Cloud RDS for MySQL. It sits between applications and database instances, forwarding requests through proxy endpoints. The service is suited to workloads with high… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• HeliosProxy — where it wins

  • Session, transaction, and statement connection pooling modes
  • Routing, load balancing, health monitoring, and automatic failover
  • WASM plugins, traffic replay, and major-version upgrade orchestration

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires customer-managed infrastructure
  • Database support centers on PostgreSQL-compatible backends
  • Advanced capabilities may require PostgreSQL proxy engineering expertise

• ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy — where it wins

  • Automatic read/write and transaction splitting
  • Connection pooling with persistent connections during failover
  • SSL endpoints with single-zone or dual-zone deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • Designed specifically for Alibaba Cloud RDS for MySQL
  • Dedicated proxies use pay-as-you-go pricing
  • Does not cover databases outside MySQL

• HeliosProxy8.7/10 · Open source

  A deep self-hosted PostgreSQL proxy for teams building advanced traffic and failover control.

  Visit HeliosProxyFull verdict →
• ApsaraDB RDS Database Proxy8.0/10 · Free plan

  A focused managed proxy for MySQL workloads needing routing, pooling, and failover support.

  Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →