connection pooling

it is a practice of maintaining a cache of reusable database connection, so instead of opening and closing connection repeatedly, we can reuse the existing ones only.

how connection pooling works?

1. initialization: a pool of database connections is created and maintained when the application starts

2. borrowing: whenever application needs a database connection for performing some operations, it borrows a connection from connection pool

3. returning: once the application is done with operations, it returns the borrowed connection back to the pool

key components

• connection pool manager: it manages the lifecycle of connections including creation, borrowing, and returning

• connections: actual database connections that are maintained in the pool

pros

• reduces the time and resources needed to establish connections thereby increasing performance

• limits the number of simultaneous database connections, preventing resource exhaustion

• supports higher loads and improves application scalability

best practices

• the pool size must be configured based on the application load and database capacity

• the pool usage should be regularly monitored to identify and resolve bottlenecks

• it should be ensured that the borrowed connections are returned to the pool to avoid leaks and resource exhaustion