What is connection pooling in Flask-SQLAlchemy?

What is connection pooling in Flask-SQLAlchemy?

Connection pooling is a technique used to manage database connections efficiently in Flask-SQLAlchemy. It allows multiple database connections to be reused, reducing the overhead of establishing a new connection for each request.

How do I implement connection pooling in my Flask app?

To implement connection pooling, you can configure the SQLAlchemy engine with parameters like pool_size and max_overflow. For example:

from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

db = SQLAlchemy(app, engine_options={'pool_size': 10, 'max_overflow': 20})

What are the benefits of using connection pooling?

The benefits include improved performance, reduced latency, and better resource management. It helps in handling multiple requests efficiently without the overhead of creating new connections.

Are there any downsides to connection pooling?

Yes, potential downsides include connection leaks if not managed properly and the complexity of configuration. It's important to monitor and tune the pool settings based on your application's needs.