Which database plan to chooseCopy Anchor Link

The database plan defines the CPU and memory of each instance. For databases, memory matters even more than for applications: the more data and indexes fit in memory, the less the database depends on disk and the faster it responds.

This page explains the focus of each plan. Prices per instance, engines and storage rules are in Database Plans.

Quick summary: PostgreSQL, MariaDB and Valkey Key-ValueCopy Anchor Link

db-freeCopy Anchor Link

Focus: learning, prototyping and testing at no cost.

db-free is a PostgreSQL with 1 instance and 1 GB of fixed storage. It is great to get started, but it has little memory and CPU: it handles few connections and simple queries well.

• Good for: local development pointing to a cloud database, study projects, prototypes and demos, test environments.
• Tip: set the application's connection pool to a few connections (for example, 2 to 5) and avoid keeping idle connections open.
• Not ideal for: production. The plan has no replicas, its storage does not grow and performance drops quickly with more traffic. When the project gets users, move to db-starter or higher.

Each organization can have 1 PostgreSQL db-free. MariaDB and Valkey Key-Value have no free plan for new organizations.

db-starterCopy Anchor Link

Focus: the first production database, at low cost.

With 0.3 vCPU and 256 MB, db-starter serves small applications that already have real users. PostgreSQL can have 1 to 3 instances, and MariaDB and Valkey always use one primary and two replicas.

• Good for: sites and APIs with a few thousand visits a day, early-stage SaaS, internal applications, the database of a Basic HTTP project.

db-basicCopy Anchor Link

Focus: production with steady traffic.

With 1 vCPU and 1 GB, db-basic keeps more data and indexes in memory and handles more complex queries well.

• Good for: APIs with thousands of users, small and medium e-commerce stores, WordPress with MariaDB, mobile app back ends.

db-premiumCopy Anchor Link

Focus: larger databases and performance visibility.

With 2 vCPU and 2 GB, db-premium is the first plan with database metrics: CPU, memory, storage, connections, read cache, locks, latency and replication.

• Good for: growing SaaS, applications with many concurrent queries, databases also used by reports and BI tools such as Metabase.

db-enterpriseCopy Anchor Link

Focus: high load and large volumes of frequently used data.

With 8 vCPU and 8 GB per instance, db-enterprise serves platforms with many concurrent users and large databases that need plenty of memory to keep performing.

Analytics plansCopy Anchor Link

The Analytics plans are for analytical queries over large volumes of data, such as events, logs and product metrics. They do not replace the application's main database.

How to tell whether the plan is rightCopy Anchor Link

Frequently asked questionsCopy Anchor Link

Can I start on db-free and move later?Copy Anchor Link

Yes. Create a database on the plan you want and migrate the data with pg_dump and pg_restore. See Migration.

Does the database plan have to match the application plan?Copy Anchor Link

No. A Basic application can use a db-basic database, for example. Size each one by what it does: the application by its traffic and the database by its data and query volume.

Next stepsCopy Anchor Link

• Database Plans
• Which HTTP plan to choose
• Cache, Queues and managed services