Formal

Formal is a protocol-aware reverse proxy that secures access to databases, APIs, and infrastructure by enforcing real-time, policy-driven security at the wire protocol level. It provides least-privilege control, data masking, and auditing across multiple protocols with inline enforcement.

Formal deploys a single stateless binary in your VPC (via Terraform, Kubernetes, or Docker) that sits between identities/tools and resources. It parses 15+ wire protocols, enforces policies inline at session/query/response stages, supports masking, access control, and auditing, and offers features like live policy testing, real-time AI monitoring, and extensive policy actions (Allow, Block, Mask, Filter, Rewrite, Quarantine, Suspend, MFA, Impersonate). It enables centralized governance across databases, BI tools, SSH/Kubernetes/RDP sessions, and AI agents, with no code changes required to protect connections and filter data in real time.

Who it’s for: Businesses needing real-time, protocol-native data security and governance for databases, APIs, and infrastructure across multiple environments.

Case studies and vendor bakeoff highlights; multiple case studies mentioned; emphasis on deployment in VPC and rapid setup; mention of demos and docs pages