How does Inspektor compare to native database security features?

Inspektor provides centralized control across multiple databases and more flexible policy definitions with OPA, but native features like PostgreSQL RLS are simpler for single-database setups without the proxy overhead. It's better for organizations needing uniform policies across diverse data sources.

How to integrate Inspektor with an existing PostgreSQL setup?

Deploy the data plane as a proxy between your application and database, configure the control plane with policies using Rego, and route all queries through Inspektor. The documentation provides detailed steps, but it involves network reconfiguration and component deployment.

Is Inspektor suitable for high-traffic production databases?

Inspektor adds a proxy layer that can introduce latency; while it's protocol-aware and optimized, teams should benchmark performance to ensure it meets throughput requirements. For critical low-latency applications, the overhead might be a concern.

Can I use Inspektor with cloud databases like AWS RDS?

Yes, Inspektor can be deployed alongside any network-accessible database, including cloud services like AWS RDS, by routing traffic through the data plane proxy. However, you'll need to manage the proxy infrastructure in your cloud environment.

How to write custom policies in Rego for Inspektor?

Policies are written in Rego, OPA's language; start by defining packages and rules for allowed actions and protected attributes based on user roles. The README includes an example policy for support roles modifying specific columns, which can serve as a template.

Inspektor — Fine-Grained Database Policy Proxy

What is Inspektor?

Inspektor is a protocol-aware proxy that enforces access policies on database queries to secure data assets and ensure compliance. It intercepts database traffic and validates queries against policies defined using Open Policy Agent (OPA), supporting databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. The tool helps organizations prevent unauthorized data access, manage permissions centrally, and protect sensitive information such as PII.

Target Audience

DevOps engineers, database administrators, and security teams in organizations that need fine-grained, centralized control over database access across multiple data sources. It's also useful for developers who require temporary access credentials for debugging without compromising security.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Inspektor for its integration with OPA, which allows flexible, declarative policy definitions, and its protocol-aware architecture that works across multiple databases. Unlike siloed solutions, it provides a centralized control plane for managing all data policies, reducing complexity and improving security posture.

Inspektor is a protocol-aware proxy that is used to enforce access policies👮

Use Cases

Best For

Enforcing role-based access control (RBAC) on database queries
Centralizing data access policies across multiple database types
Protecting PII and sensitive customer data in collaborative environments
Preventing accidental dangerous commands like DELETE or UPDATE
Granting temporary database access to support teams based on context (e.g., open tickets)
Achieving compliance with data security regulations through audit-friendly policy management

Not Ideal For

Organizations relying exclusively on native database security features like PostgreSQL RLS
Teams with ultra-low latency requirements where proxy overhead is prohibitive
Projects using databases not yet supported, such as Snowflake or S3

Pros & Cons

Pros

OPA-Based Flexibility

Uses Open Policy Agent with Rego language, enabling declarative and context-aware policies, such as granting access based on support ticket assignments, as shown in the example policy.

Centralized Policy Management

Control plane allows managing all data access policies from a single interface, eliminating siloed configurations across multiple databases, which simplifies compliance and auditing.

Protocol-Aware Interception

Intercepts and analyzes database network traffic at the protocol level, enforcing policies before queries reach the data source, preventing unauthorized access like accidental DELETE commands.

Attribute-Level Security

Enables hiding or restricting specific columns like PII based on user roles, as demonstrated in the OPA example policy that protects customer email columns for support roles.

Cons

Limited Database Support

Currently only supports PostgreSQL, with other databases like MySQL and MongoDB still in the planned stage, restricting immediate adoption for multi-database environments.

Complex Setup and Management

Requires deploying both control and data plane components, which adds operational overhead and complexity compared to built-in database security solutions.

OPA Learning Curve

Writing policies in Rego can be challenging for teams unfamiliar with OPA, increasing the initial learning investment and potential for misconfiguration.

What is Inspektor?

Target Audience

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Enforcing role-based access control (RBAC) on database queries
Centralizing data access policies across multiple database types
Protecting PII and sensitive customer data in collaborative environments
Preventing accidental dangerous commands like DELETE or UPDATE
Granting temporary database access to support teams based on context (e.g., open tickets)
Achieving compliance with data security regulations through audit-friendly policy management

Not Ideal For

Organizations relying exclusively on native database security features like PostgreSQL RLS
Teams with ultra-low latency requirements where proxy overhead is prohibitive
Projects using databases not yet supported, such as Snowflake or S3

Pros & Cons

Pros

OPA-Based Flexibility

Uses Open Policy Agent with Rego language, enabling declarative and context-aware policies, such as granting access based on support ticket assignments, as shown in the example policy.

Centralized Policy Management

Control plane allows managing all data access policies from a single interface, eliminating siloed configurations across multiple databases, which simplifies compliance and auditing.

Protocol-Aware Interception

Intercepts and analyzes database network traffic at the protocol level, enforcing policies before queries reach the data source, preventing unauthorized access like accidental DELETE commands.

Attribute-Level Security

Enables hiding or restricting specific columns like PII based on user roles, as demonstrated in the OPA example policy that protects customer email columns for support roles.

Cons

Limited Database Support

Currently only supports PostgreSQL, with other databases like MySQL and MongoDB still in the planned stage, restricting immediate adoption for multi-database environments.

Complex Setup and Management

Requires deploying both control and data plane components, which adds operational overhead and complexity compared to built-in database security solutions.

OPA Learning Curve

Writing policies in Rego can be challenging for teams unfamiliar with OPA, increasing the initial learning investment and potential for misconfiguration.

Inspektor

What is Inspektor?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Inspektor

What is Inspektor?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?