TechPrufer
Get started
PlanetScale
PlanetScale logoPlanetScale · Feature trail

Row Level Security (RLS) Management

1 post · Apr 2026

What this trail covers

This post introduces Row Level Security (RLS) in PostgreSQL, highlighting its potential benefits for managing data access at the database layer. However, it primarily focuses on the significant challenges and complexities associated with implementing and scaling RLS effectively. The post details issues related to policy management, connection pooling with tools like PgBouncer, attack surface amplification due to unmitigated query execution, performance implications of row-level policy evaluation, and bypassing RLS via superuser roles or table ownership. It suggests alternative patterns like SECURITY DEFINER functions and emphasizes managing security at the application layer.

All PlanetScale trails
  1. RLS sounds great until it isn'tThis post details the challenges and foot-guns of using PostgreSQL's Row Level Security (RLS). It highlights issues with policy management and syncing with application code, connection pooling complexities with PgBouncer leading to the need for session-local variables, performance degradation due to RLS acting as an extra WHERE clause on every query, and the potential for attack surface amplification. It also discusses how RLS policies can be bypassed by table owners or superuser roles. Performance implications are demonstrated with a benchmark showing significant latency increases due to non-cached function evaluations within policies, and the use of `InitPlan` to mitigate this. The post also explores the complexity of managing related data modifications (e.g., sandwich making and grocery list updates) and suggests `SECURITY DEFINER` functions as a pattern to bypass RLS for specific operations, while noting the challenges of versioning and syncing these functions with application code.