Behind every seamless digital experience is an infrastructure team working hard to keep systems scalable, responsive, and resilient. In this episode of IT Infrastructure as a Conversation, I’m joined by Jesmar Cannaò, COO of ProxySQL, to explore the story behind one of the most trusted open source tools in database management today.

What began as a side project born from the frustrations of a single DBA has evolved into a critical component for teams managing MySQL and PostgreSQL environments around the world. Jesmar walks us through the origins of ProxySQL and explains how it empowers DBAs by placing intelligent query routing, load balancing, and failover handling directly in their hands.

We discuss the architectural advantages of ProxySQL in both cloud-native and on-premise setups, its ability to operate with minimal friction inside Kubernetes, and why open source remains at the heart of its mission. Jesmar also offers a candid look at what it takes to build a distributed team, maintain performance across time zones, and foster a global community of contributors and users.

As database architectures grow more complex and DBA roles continue to shift, ProxySQL is evolving to meet those changes head-on. With the recent alpha release of its PostgreSQL protocol support and plans to expand further in 2025, Jesmar outlines how the team is staying ahead of industry demand.

Whether you're a database engineer, a cloud architect, or simply someone trying to future-proof your infrastructure, this conversation is full of practical insight into what open source can offer in a fast-changing world.

Explore more at proxysql.com and join the conversation around high-performance infrastructure that does not compromise on transparency, flexibility, or control.