Serverless PostgreSQL
A real Postgres in seconds. Free tier, no credit card, the same drivers, ORMs, and migration tools you already use. Cloud, desktop, or self-host with the Layerbase CLI.
Already have data? Migrate it from Neon, Supabase, Render, and more Any connection string works too.
FAQ
Common PostgreSQL questions
What is PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is the open-source relational database most application frameworks assume by default: SQL, ACID transactions, and a deep extension ecosystem. It is the usual choice for primary application databases, SaaS backends, and transactional workloads. Layerbase runs it as a managed endpoint you get in seconds, with TLS, a web SQL console, and pooled or direct connection strings, and the same engine runs locally through the Layerbase CLI and Layerbase Desktop.
Is the free PostgreSQL tier really free?
Yes. The Free plan is $0/mo with no card, and it is not a trial: it covers 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections, with no expiry date. A free database hibernates after 15 minutes idle and wakes on the next connection in roughly 1 to 5 seconds. Solo ($5/mo) and Pro ($15/mo) are there when you outgrow it.
Which PostgreSQL version do you run?
Layerbase Cloud tracks the latest stable PostgreSQL major version, and new databases default to it. The dashboard shows the exact version, and the supported versions list is visible in the create flow so you can pin a specific one. We sometimes also offer an upcoming major as a clearly marked beta for early testing, but it is never the default.
Do you support extensions like pg_vector or PostGIS?
The standard contrib extensions ship with every Postgres database, so pg_trgm, pgcrypto, uuid-ossp, hstore, citext, ltree, tablefunc, unaccent, postgres_fdw and pg_stat_statements are a CREATE EXTENSION away. pgvector and PostGIS are not available today, so plan around that rather than discovering it at CREATE EXTENSION time. For vector search, Qdrant and Weaviate are first-class engines on the same account and the same plan, which is the route we would point you at. If an extension you need is missing, open an issue and we will look at adding it.
Do you support the Neon serverless driver?
Yes. Every Layerbase Postgres also speaks the HTTP protocol used by @neondatabase/serverless, so passing your normal Layerbase connection string to neon() works from Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, AWS Lambda, and other runtimes that cannot hold a TCP socket. Queries run through the connection pooler, so a burst of function invocations does not exhaust connections. @vercel/postgres, Drizzle neon-http, and the Prisma and Kysely Neon adapters work the same way. Interactive (WebSocket) transactions are not supported; sql.transaction() batches are.
What is the difference between the pooled and direct PostgreSQL connection strings?
Pooled is the right default for serverless and connection-heavy web apps; it multiplexes requests so you do not exhaust the server connection limit. Direct bypasses the pooler and is required for migrations, logical replication, and tools that hold a session.
How do PostgreSQL backups work on Layerbase?
Free databases hibernate but persist their data, and Free includes 1 manual backup slot you can take and restore from the dashboard. Paid plans add scheduled snapshots with 7 or 30 day retention, one-click restore, and more manual slots.
Can I run PostgreSQL locally too?
Yes. The Layerbase CLI (npm i -g layerbase, run as lbase) manages local Postgres versions, schemas, and seed data as native processes, no Docker required. Layerbase Desktop wraps the same engine runtime in a GUI.
Do you support client certificate (mTLS) authentication?
Yes, on the Pro plan. Enable it per database and every connection then requires both a valid client certificate and its password. Each database has its own certificate authority; you issue certificates from the dashboard or API, and rotating the CA revokes all of them at once. Connection pooling stays on: the pooler verifies the certificate, so you keep the pooled endpoint (useful for serverless) with mTLS enforced.