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.

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, an unexpected failure of an instance, MySQL Router detects the change and adjusts the routing to the remaining instances automatically. This automatic adjustment 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.