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apache/shardingsphere

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TLDR

Apache ShardingSphere is a distributed database enhancement layer that adds sharding, read-write splitting, encryption, and federation to existing databases without replacing them.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((ShardingSphere))
    What it does
      Shards data across databases
      Splits read and write traffic
      Encrypts and masks data
      Federates SQL queries
    How to use it
      ShardingSphere-JDBC driver
      ShardingSphere-Proxy gateway
      Deploy independently or together
    Tech stack
      Java
      JDBC
      MySQL protocol
      PostgreSQL protocol
    Use cases
      Scale large databases
      Improve query performance
      Secure sensitive data
      Avoid vendor lock-in
    Architecture
      Micro-kernel design
      Pluggable components
      Three-layer structure

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Shard a large database across multiple servers to handle more data and traffic without replacing your existing database.

USE CASE 2

Split read and write operations across different database instances to improve performance and reduce load on your primary database.

USE CASE 3

Encrypt sensitive columns and mask personally identifiable information transparently without changing application code.

USE CASE 4

Query data across multiple heterogeneous databases as if they were a single unified database using SQL federation.

Tech stack

JavaJDBCMySQLPostgreSQLSQL

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires Java build, multiple database instances, and understanding of ShardingSphere's YAML configuration for sharding rules.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you comply with Apache License 2.0 terms including attribution and license notices.

In plain English

Apache ShardingSphere is middleware that sits between an application and one or more databases and makes a collection of separate databases look and behave like a single, more capable one. The project frames this as Database Plus: rather than build a brand-new database, ShardingSphere adds a standardised enhancement layer on top of existing ones so an application can talk to them through a unified interface and get extra capabilities for free. The README organises what it does around three pillars. Connect means it speaks common database protocols and SQL dialects and adapts to different storage formats, so applications can reach multi-database setups through one consistent access path. Enhance is the value added on top: data sharding (splitting one logical table across many physical databases), read/write splitting, SQL federation across sources, encryption, data masking, auditing, rate limiting and circuit breakers, and observability through monitoring and tracing. Pluggable refers to the architecture itself, a micro-kernel design with three pluggable layers, so teams can swap or extend components instead of taking an all-or-nothing package. ShardingSphere offers two access points that can be used separately or together. ShardingSphere-JDBC is a lightweight Java library that ships as a JAR, plugs into an application's JDBC driver path, and is compatible with common Java ORM frameworks such as MyBatis, JPA, and Hibernate. ShardingSphere-Proxy is a standalone service the application connects to instead of the database directly. The project is written in Java and became an Apache Top-Level Project on April 16, 2020. The full README is longer than what was provided.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I set up ShardingSphere-JDBC to shard my MySQL database across multiple instances? Show me a basic configuration example.
Prompt 2
I want to use ShardingSphere-Proxy as a transparent database proxy for my PostgreSQL cluster. What are the deployment steps?
Prompt 3
How does ShardingSphere handle read-write splitting, and how do I configure it to route queries to replica databases?
Prompt 4
Show me how to encrypt specific columns in my database using ShardingSphere's data encryption feature without modifying my application.
Prompt 5
What's the difference between ShardingSphere-JDBC and ShardingSphere-Proxy, and when should I use each one?
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