# Formal

> Formal is a protocol-aware reverse proxy that enforces least privilege on every query. It secures access to databases, APIs, AI agents, and infrastructure by parsing wire protocols natively and evaluating policies inline with sub-10ms p50 overhead.

Formal is a single stateless binary deployed in your VPC. It supports 15+ protocols including Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, SSH, Kubernetes, HTTP, MCP, S3, Redis, RDP, gRPC, BigQuery, ClickHouse, and DynamoDB. Every identity (engineer, BI tool, CI/CD pipeline, AI agent) connects through the proxy, where policies are evaluated in real-time. No application changes, no SDK, no agents.

Key capabilities:
- 9 policy actions: Allow, Block, Mask, Filter, Rewrite, Quarantine, Suspend, MFA, Impersonate
- Multi-stage policy pipeline evaluated at session, request, and response stages
- Wire-protocol-level query rewriting, column masking, and data filtering
- Policy impact reports with up to 31 days of backtesting before enforcement
- Full session auditing and forensic-grade logging across every protocol
- Real-time LLM-powered anomaly detection for live sessions
- AI agent and MCP server security: strip PII, block unauthorized tool calls, audit agent actions
- API-first with Terraform provider, Pulumi provider, and REST/gRPC API
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS compliance support

## Documentation

- [Formal Docs](https://docs.formal.ai): Full product documentation, setup guides, and API reference
- [Security](https://security.formal.ai): Security posture and compliance information
- [Status](https://status.formal.ai): Service status and uptime

## Customer Stories

- [Cursor](https://www.formal.ai/customers/cursor/index.md): How Cursor gives engineers and AI agents secure access to model weights, training data, and infrastructure with Formal
- [Notion](https://www.formal.ai/customers/notion.html): How Notion uses Formal for database access governance
- [Gusto](https://www.formal.ai/customers/gusto.html): How Gusto uses Formal for automated data protection
- [Modern Health](https://www.formal.ai/customers/modern-health.html): How Modern Health scales cybersecurity with Formal
- [ManoMano](https://www.formal.ai/customers/manomano.html): How ManoMano secures data access with Formal

## Blog

- [The Permission Pitfall of MCP](https://www.formal.ai/blog/permission-pitfall-mcp.html): Why MCP servers need granular permission enforcement
- [Using Proxies with Claude Code](https://www.formal.ai/blog/using-proxies-claude-code.html): How to secure AI coding agents with protocol-aware proxies
- [Fine-Grained Connector Logs](https://www.formal.ai/blog/fine-grained-connector-logs.html): Deep observability into every proxied connection
- [Allowlisting Bash Commands](https://www.formal.ai/blog/allowlisting-bash-commands): Controlling command execution through SSH proxies
- [SSH Port Forwarding and SSM](https://www.formal.ai/blog/ssh-port-forwarding-ssm.html): Secure SSH access patterns with Formal
- [MongoDB Protocol Proxy](https://www.formal.ai/blog/mongodb-protocol-proxy.html): Native MongoDB wire protocol support
- [Editing Code Visually](https://www.formal.ai/blog/editing-code-visually.html): Visual policy editing capabilities
- [From Security Problem to Solution](https://www.formal.ai/blog/security-problem-to-solution.html): Formal's approach to data security
- [Formal Out of Stealth](https://www.formal.ai/blog/formal-out-of-stealth.html): Formal's launch announcement

## Company

- [About](https://www.formal.ai/about.html): About Formal
- [Careers](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/formal): Open positions
- [Contact](mailto:hi@formal.ai): Get in touch

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://www.formal.ai/privacy.html): Privacy policy
- [Terms of Service](https://www.formal.ai/terms.html): Terms of service
- [Cookie Policy](https://www.formal.ai/cookies.html): Cookie policy