PgCat

At a glance

• Editor score
  8.2 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Free PostgreSQL pooling with sharding
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  Free
• Deployment model
  Self-hosted
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Free, MIT-licensed PostgreSQL pooling and proxying
  • Combines routing, load balancing, failover, and sharding
  • Supports TLS, authentication, metrics, and live reloads

• Where it doesn't

  • Focused on PostgreSQL rather than multiple database engines
  • Requires self-hosted Linux deployment
  • No built-in AI features

Our verdict on PgCat

PgCat is an open-source PostgreSQL connection pooler and proxy for teams running PostgreSQL applications and clusters. It multiplexes client connections into reusable server connections and supports both transaction and session pooling. The product is aimed at organizations that want to manage PostgreSQL traffic within their own Linux-based infrastructure, including deployments using containers, Kubernetes, systemd, or a source build.

PgCat’s central advantage is breadth within the PostgreSQL proxy role. It can balance read queries across replicas and the primary server, route queries between primary and replica systems, and reroute traffic around unhealthy servers through automatic failover. Database sharding extends its scope beyond connection reuse, while administrative statistics databases and a Prometheus metrics endpoint provide operational visibility. TLS and MD5/SCRAM authentication address connection security, and live configuration reloading can simplify changes to a running deployment. The software is presented as free, open-source software under the MIT license, making it suitable for teams seeking PostgreSQL pooling without a paid software tier.

The trade-off is a focused deployment model. PgCat supports PostgreSQL and is designed for self-hosted Linux environments, so it suits teams that control their infrastructure and want direct responsibility for deployment and operations. It is less appropriate for organizations seeking a managed database proxy, broad multi-database coverage, or a hosted service. Choose PgCat when PostgreSQL pooling, query routing, failover, sharding, and infrastructure control are priorities; choose an alternative when managed operations or support for database systems beyond PostgreSQL matter more.

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PgCat pricing

PgCat fact sheet

Alternatives to PgCat

• Heimdall Database ProxyA broad database proxy with pooling, routing, analytics, security, and failover.9.4
• ProxySQLA free, open-source proxy for routing, pooling, balancing, and managing database traffic.9.2
• ShardingSphere-ProxyA self-hosted proxy for routing, scaling, and high availability across four database protocols.9.0

See all PgCat alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

PgCat is listed in our Database Proxy Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update