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When to use PgBouncer

PgBouncer is generally recommended for OLTP workloads. For example, we recommend routing all application connections through PgBouncer. You can connect through PgBouncer by updating your connection string to use port 6432 instead of the Postgres default of 5432. PgBouncer connections operate in transaction mode, which means the pooled server connections are assigned to client connections on a per-transaction level. This provides excellent performance for OLTP workloads but limits certain PostgreSQL features that require persistent connections. Learn more at the PgBouncer documentation.

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When should you NOT use PgBouncer

For use cases that require long-running operations, we recommend a direct connection on port 5432. For example:
  • Schema changes and DDL
  • OLAP, analytics, reporting, or batch processing
  • Session-specific features: Custom session variables, temporary tables
  • ETL processes and data streaming
  • Long-running transactions or queries that span multiple transactions
  • Creating a local backup with pg_dump

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Connecting through PgBouncer

PlanetScale offers two connection methods for PostgreSQL databases: direct (port 5432) and via PgBouncer (port 6432). To connect to PgBouncer, switch the port in your connection string from 5432 to 6432. For example: 
psql 'host=xxxxxxxxxx-useast1-1.horizon.psdb.cloud port=6432 user=postgres.xxxxxxxxxx password=pscale_pw_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx dbname=my_database sslnegotiation=direct sslmode=verify-full sslrootcert=system'
NotePlanetScale’s use of PgBouncer (port 6432) does not support replica routing. All connections through PgBouncer are automatically routed to the primary database, regardless of the username specification. Use direct connections (port 5432) for replica access.
Learn more about connecting to PlanetScale via PgBouncer on the connections overview page.

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Need help?

Get help from the PlanetScale Support team, or join our GitHub discussion board to see how others are using PlanetScale.
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