# Scaling with multiple databases - which approach is 'best'?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/scaling-with-multiple-databases-which-approach-is-best/126636>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 20, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/scaling-with-multiple-databases-which-approach-is-best/126636 "2008-01-20T20:05:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wpwood)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/scaling-with-multiple-databases-which-approach-is-best/126636/1 "2008-01-20T20:05:20Z")

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Hi All,

I’m looking at options for using multiple databases in a  
master-for-writes, slaves-for-reads config. I’ve Googled up multiple  
options including ActsAsReadonlyable, MagicMultiConnections,  
ActiveDelegate, and native MySQL. I’m looking for any real-world  
experience / advice on which of these (or others) are real options.  
Some background on my constraints…

1. the site is customer-facing and business-critical
2. development is done primariliy on WinXP boxes (corp standard) running  
local copies of MySQL. production is a clustered environment (except  
for a single DB box right now)
3. we have a DBA group that controls the production DB environment
4. all the ‘normal’ Fortune 500 organization / process stuff

Thanks in advance!  
Bill

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wpwood)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/scaling-with-multiple-databases-which-approach-is-best/126636/2 "2008-01-21T09:27:14Z")

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Simplist solution is to stick a load balancer in front of your DB  
servers. Select request get past to the server with least load, inserts,  
updates and deletes go to all of them