PolarDB-X 1.0 is a cloud-native distributed relational database developed by Alibaba Cloud. It integrates the distributed SQL engine PolarDB-X 1.0 with the self-developed distributed storage X-DB, supporting tens of millions of concurrent connections and hundreds of petabytes of data. PolarDB-X 1.0 addresses four core challenges: mass data storage, ultra-high concurrent throughput, performance bottlenecks for large tables, and complex computing efficiency.
Built on standard MySQL-compatible technology, PolarDB-X 1.0 lets your team operate it like a familiar single-instance database while gaining distributed scale. It has been battle-tested at peak load across every Tmall Double 11 Shopping Festival and runs core online transactions for customers in the Internet, finance and payment, education, communications, and public utilities industries.
Use cases
High concurrency and large data volumes: When a single MySQL instance can no longer handle the traffic or storage requirements of a growing application, PolarDB-X 1.0 distributes data across multiple ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances — supporting tens of millions of concurrent connections and hundreds of petabytes of data. Each instance handles a bounded number of concurrent requests and stores a bounded amount of data, keeping the system stable as load grows.
Rapid business scaling: Applications that need to scale compute or storage quickly — without downtime or complex re-architecting — can independently scale each layer of the PolarDB-X 1.0 hierarchical architecture, with no upper bound on concurrency, computing capacity, or storage.
Mission-critical transaction workloads: For core online business that must stay available around the clock, PolarDB-X 1.0 provides a complete operations and maintenance (O&M) system with automated scheduling and a full set of API operations for integration.
Key capabilities
Stability backed by battle-tested MySQL technology
PolarDB-X 1.0 implements distributed logic at the compute layer while keeping standard relational database technology at its core. Distributing data across multiple ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances ensures that no single instance bears excessive load, which keeps behavior predictable under high concurrency and large data volumes. This architecture has been validated under the extreme scale of every Tmall Double 11 Shopping Festival.
Linear scalability without ceiling
The hierarchical architecture separates compute from storage, enabling independent scale-out of each layer. Unlike single-instance relational databases, PolarDB-X 1.0 has no fixed upper bound on concurrency, computing capacity, or data volume — removing scalability as a bottleneck during rapid growth.
Always-on O&M
PolarDB-X 1.0 ships with a complete O&M system built from years of production use on Alibaba Cloud and Apsara Stack. Services can be automatically scheduled and integrated through a full set of API operations, minimizing manual intervention in day-to-day database management.