6.4.1 Bootstrapping MySQL Router

You bootstrap MySQL Router against an InnoDB ReplicaSet or InnoDB Cluster to automatically configure routing. The bootstrap process is a specific way of running MySQL Router, which does not start the usual routing and instead configures the mysqlrouter.conf file based on the metadata.

To bootstrap MySQL Router at the command-line, pass in the --bootstrap option when you start the mysqlrouter command, and it retrieves the topology information from the metadata and configures routing connections to the server instances. Alternatively, on Windows use the MySQL Installer to bootstrap MySQL Router, see MySQL Router Configuration with MySQL Installer.

Once MySQL Router has been bootstrapped, client applications then connect to the ports it publishes. MySQL Router automatically redirects client connections to the instances based on the incoming port, for example 6646 is used by default for read-write connections using classic MySQL protocol. In the event of a topology change, for example due to an unexpected failure of an instance, MySQL Router detects the change and adjusts the routing to the remaining instances automatically. This removes the need for client applications to handle failover, or to be aware of the underlying topology. For more information, see Routing for MySQL InnoDB Cluster.


Do not attempt to configure MySQL Router manually to redirect to the server instances. Always use the --bootstrap option as this ensures that MySQL Router takes its configuration from the metadata. See Cluster Metadata and State.