# QueryProxy vs StrongDM > Looking for a StrongDM alternative? QueryProxy is a self-hosted approval portal for SQL only, not an access platform. Where each fits, and where it does not. - Updated: 2026-10-13 - Source: https://queryproxy.com/compare/strongdm/ - Language: en-US - Author: Muhammet Şafak --- StrongDM describes itself as a Zero Trust privileged access management platform for databases, servers, Kubernetes clusters, clouds and web applications. QueryProxy covers one job inside that scope, the approval of individual SQL statements. ## At a glance | Aspect | QueryProxy | StrongDM | | --- | --- | --- | | Scope | SQL against PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server and SQLite | Databases, servers, Kubernetes clusters, clouds and web applications | | Question answered | May this statement run? | May this person reach this resource, and for how long? | | Time-limited access | Not the model; a DBA grants a connection, and each statement is approved on its own | Access granted just in time and expired automatically | | Approval | Every statement waits for a DBA, in the web queue or from Slack or Teams | Access workflows route a resource request to approvers; policies can also require a workflow for an action (Enterprise plan) | | Statement rules | Parsed before the queue; UPDATE and DELETE need a WHERE, SELECT gets a LIMIT | Policies can permit or forbid database actions and cap rows, for Postgres and SQL Server (Enterprise plan) | | Where it runs | One container you host, with no external service required | Gateways and relays run on hosts you manage | | License | AGPL-3.0, every feature | See StrongDM for license terms | Short answer: QueryProxy replaces StrongDM only if the thing you wanted from it was query approval. It is not a smaller version of the same platform. StrongDM's documentation describes it as a [Zero Trust privileged access management platform](https://docs.strongdm.com/) that manages access to databases, servers, Kubernetes clusters, clouds and web applications. Its product page says it grants least-privilege access just in time and expires it automatically, and that it logs and records access for audits ([strongdm.com](https://www.strongdm.com/)). The breadth is the point: one model for the whole estate. QueryProxy has one job. A developer submits SQL against a connection a DBA granted, the statement is parsed against the [SQL guards](/docs/sql-guards/), a DBA approves it in the [approval workflow](/docs/approval-workflow/), and the result is [masked](/docs/data-masking/) as it is written. It is [open source under AGPL-3.0](/docs/) and runs as a single container; the [quick start](/docs/quickstart/) gets one running. ## How do the approval models differ? StrongDM's [access workflows](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/access/workflows) let users with specific roles request access to a set of resources, and pre-selected approvers accept or deny. The page states the feature is part of the Enterprise plan. Access workflows approve access to a resource. In QueryProxy the unit of approval is the statement. Being granted a connection does not let a developer run anything; each `UPDATE` or `SELECT` goes through the queue and a DBA sees the exact SQL that will run, including any `LIMIT` the guard injected. A DBA cannot approve their own request. ## What about rules on the statement itself? StrongDM's [policies](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/access/policies.md) are written in Cedar and can permit or forbid specific database commands or limit a user's queries to a maximum number of rows. The documentation says resource-specific action control covers Postgres and Microsoft SQL Server, and that the feature is part of the Enterprise plan. Its listed use cases include allowing an action only if an approval workflow approves it, requiring an MFA challenge, and asking users to justify an action; that page does not show the configuration steps, so check with StrongDM how far per-action approval goes. Policies decide what a user may do. QueryProxy's rules are fixed and not configurable per user: a write needs a `WHERE`, a read gets a `LIMIT`, and a short list of server-level statements is always refused. The default `LIMIT` and the hard cap are [configurable](/docs/configuration/). The guard is static and best-effort, and QueryProxy's [hardening guide](/docs/production-hardening/) says to back it with database privileges as well. ## Which problem do you have? If the problem is "too many ways into too many systems", you want a platform, and [Teleport](/compare/teleport/) is the other name that usually appears on that list. If the problem is "engineers need production data, and somebody else should read the query before it runs", you need less than a platform. Teams that run a [bastion host](/compare/bastion-host/) today are usually in the second group. Many teams also keep both layers: the platform decides who reaches the database, and QueryProxy holds the credential and gates each statement. The idea behind that split is explained in [what database access control is](/what-is-database-access-control/). Prices, plan contents and license terms change. This page does not quote them; read StrongDM's current terms on its own site. Claims about StrongDM above were checked against its documentation on 2026-10-13. ## When to choose StrongDM instead - You want one access layer for more than databases. StrongDM lists servers, Kubernetes clusters, clouds and web applications as resources it manages, and QueryProxy handles none of them. - You need a vendor with contractual support, or a product you can buy and have maintained for you, rather than software your own team deploys and upgrades. - Your requirement is just-in-time access that expires on its own. QueryProxy has no time-boxed grants; it reviews statements. ## Frequently asked ### Is QueryProxy a StrongDM alternative? Only for one job. If what you need from StrongDM is a person getting a DBA's approval before a SQL statement runs on production, QueryProxy does that on infrastructure you host. If you use StrongDM for servers, Kubernetes or just-in-time access, QueryProxy does not replace it. ### Which one can I self-host? QueryProxy is self-hosted by design. It ships as one container with the portal, the queue worker and the scheduler, under AGPL-3.0. StrongDM's node documentation says gateways and relays run on hosts you manage, but it does not say there that the whole product is self-hosted, so check that with StrongDM. ### Can I run both? Yes. A platform can govern who reaches what, while QueryProxy holds the database credential and gates each statement. Each covers a question the other does not ask. ### Does QueryProxy handle SSH or Kubernetes access? No. QueryProxy accepts SQL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server and SQLite targets, and nothing else.