Atlas Scales Hundreds of Merchant Databases with Cloud SQL

Atlas is building the operating system for restaurants, and every merchant gets their own dedicated Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL database. That means hundreds of databases to manage—each with its own performance quirks and peak lunch rushes. But as Atlas grew, the standard Cloud SQL edition started feeling like a swamp with too many logs blocking the channel.

The Challenge: Scaling Beyond Standard

Atlas started on Cloud SQL Enterprise edition, which was solid but required a separate connection pooling layer. That meant more services to run, secure, and monitor. When a query caused a CPU spike, the team spent too much time reconstructing problems from limited signals. With a lean team and no dedicated database engineers, every extra component multiplied the maintenance load.

The Shift to Enterprise Plus

When Google Cloud introduced Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus edition, Atlas saw it as a chance to clear the weeds. The new edition removed whole categories of operational work:

• Managed connection pooling: Built directly into Cloud SQL, eliminating a separate layer and reducing security surface area.
• Query insights: See exactly which queries are expensive and which merchant triggered them—turning performance tuning from guesswork into actionable data.
• Data cache: Keeps read performance consistent as merchant datasets grow.
• Near-zero downtime scaling: Scale instances without disrupting service during off-peak hours.

After seeing the results on a new instance, Atlas migrated all existing databases to Enterprise Plus.

Impact: Focus on Innovation, Not Plumbing

Atlas now powers thousands of restaurant outlets, processing tens of thousands of orders daily across hundreds of managed databases. Engineering time spent on database operations dropped by 30%, and merchant onboarding now takes seconds. The team is more proactive on performance, catching issues before they affect merchants. This shift has helped Atlas grow 200–300% year over year.

Looking Ahead: An AI-First Future

Atlas is investing heavily in AI—both internally with agentic engineering workflows and externally with AI-powered tools for restaurant operators. The foundation of Cloud SQL and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) gives them the confidence to move fast without worrying about infrastructure. As they say, “We are not thinking about database plumbing. We are thinking about how to serve merchants better.”

For more on how Google Cloud can streamline your database operations, check out our Google Cloud review and Neon Database review for alternatives.

Original announcement published on Google Cloud.