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CouchDB

Serverless CouchDB

Document storage with the HTTP API you already know, multi-master replication, and the same client libraries you've always used. Cloud or self-host.

Create CouchDBCreate an account
REST API Console
CouchDB
POST/products/_find

Body

{
"selector": { "in_stock": true },
"limit": 5
}

Response200 OK · 7ms

{
"docs": [
{ "_id": "412", "name": "ANC Headphones" },
{ "_id": "287", "name": "Studio Earbuds" }
]
}

  • Pro engine

    $15/mo flat, no meters

  • Encrypted

    TLS on every plan

  • Layerbase Cloud

    Managed, in seconds

  • Desktop and CLI

    Run it locally or self-host

HTTPS endpoint

CouchDB over HTTPS, from anywhere

CouchDB on Layerbase Cloud is one HTTPS endpoint plus an API key from the dashboard. The official clients connect unchanged, and serverless or edge runtimes that cannot hold a TCP connection work the same way. The dashboard console is a thin layer over the same REST API, so what you see in the browser is what your code sees, and the firewall panel locks the endpoint to your own IPs or CIDR ranges.

Serverless and edge access

Quick start

Connect with any CouchDB client

Offline-first apps that sync via PouchDB, multi-master document workloads, and apps that prefer HTTP-native storage.

  • Sync state between mobile and desktop apps via PouchDB to a hosted CouchDB
  • HTTP-native document storage for serverless and edge runtimes
  • Self-host with the Layerbase CLI when on-premise replication is required
  • Local-first apps that bring their CouchDB to the cloud without code changes
  • Long-running document workloads with periodic compaction
Full CouchDB connection guide
bash
CouchDB
curl "https://admin:password@your-host.cloud.layerbase.dev/"

Where to run it

Cloud, desktop, or self-host

One database, three places it can live. Pick the speed you want and move between them when you outgrow it.

Layerbase Cloud

CouchDB provisioned on managed infrastructure.

Create database

Layerbase Desktop

Run CouchDB locally with the same dashboard and query console.

Download

Layerbase CLI

Run CouchDB from the terminal, locally or on your own infra.

View the CLI docs

Managed CouchDB hosting

What managed CouchDB costs here, and how it behaves

CouchDB is a Pro engine on Layerbase Cloud: the floor is the $15/mo Pro plan, flat, with no per-request meter. It is not on the Free plan. This is what the plan includes, what happens when it is idle, and the one thing it cannot do here.

CouchDB needs the Pro plan, $15/mo

Pro is $15/mo flat: 10 databases, 25 GB of storage, up to 500 concurrent connections, and a 1.5 GB always-on pool. There is no per-request or per-document meter, and the cost preview in the create flow shows the monthly cost before you provision anything. Pro also carries a 7-day free trial.

It sleeps after 6 hours idle and wakes on the next request

CouchDB is served over HTTPS, and every CouchDB operation is an HTTP request, which is exactly what wakes it: a hibernated database keeps its hostname and data volume, and the next request wakes it in roughly 1 to 5 seconds rather than failing. Pin it to your always-on pool if you would rather it never sleep; CouchDB draws 256 MB of the 1.5 GB Pro pool.

PouchDB syncs to it, replication works

The endpoint speaks the standard CouchDB HTTP API over HTTPS, so PouchDB syncs to it by changing the URL and nothing else, and replication targets the usual /_replicate API. The dashboard manages admin credentials and per-database keys, and the document console covers everyday work in the browser.

No branching, and that is deliberate

CouchDB is the one engine here we refuse to branch. A copied data directory carries the cluster metadata with it, so the copy quietly joins the cluster of the original and forwards its writes back to it. A naive test of that looks like it works, which is the dangerous part, so the platform blocks branching outright rather than handing you a branch that corrupts its parent. Everything else stays: backups, restore, and the whole HTTP API.

Nothing expires, and backups are automatic

Auto-archiving is a free-tier sweep, so a Pro database is never archived however long it sits. Pro takes a daily backup with 30 days of rolling retention, plus 10 manual slots you trigger yourself, and restore is one click from the dashboard onto the same database or into a new one.

Create a CouchDB database

CouchDB needs the Pro plan, $15/mo flat, with a 7-day free trial. No per-request meter.

Worth reading before you pick

FAQ

Common CouchDB questions

What is CouchDB?

Apache CouchDB is a document database with an HTTP-native API and multi-master replication, best known as the sync target for offline-first apps built on PouchDB. Because every operation is an HTTP request, it fits serverless and edge runtimes that cannot hold a socket open. Layerbase runs it as a managed HTTPS endpoint with a web document console, so standard CouchDB and PouchDB clients connect by changing the URL alone.

How much does managed CouchDB hosting cost?

CouchDB is a Pro engine on Layerbase Cloud, so the floor is the $15/mo Pro plan; it is not on the Free plan. Pricing is flat with no per-request meter, and the cost preview in the create flow shows the monthly cost before you provision anything. The Free plan covers PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Redis, and the other Standard engines for prototyping.

Will PouchDB sync to hosted CouchDB?

Yes. The endpoint speaks the standard CouchDB HTTP API, so PouchDB syncs to it without configuration changes other than the URL.

How do TLS and authentication work on hosted CouchDB?

HTTPS by default. The dashboard manages admin credentials and provides per-database keys for app-level auth.

Can I use Fauxton with hosted CouchDB?

Yes for direct administration via the REST API. The Layerbase dashboard provides a console for everyday use; Fauxton-style operations work against the same endpoint.

Does CouchDB replication work on Layerbase?

Yes. CouchDB replication targets the standard /_replicate API. Configure source and target URLs through the dashboard or your tooling.

Can I run CouchDB locally?

Yes. The Layerbase CLI and Layerbase Desktop both manage local CouchDB versions with the same UI.

Branching, on request

Database branching is live on 16 engines today, and the same copy-on-write mechanism spans the whole fleet. Want it on CouchDB? Reach out and we will look at switching it on for your account.

Request branching

What you get

Everything a CouchDB database should ship with

The same primitives on every CouchDB database: TLS, web console, hibernation, and a real dashboard. The rows that need a paid plan say so on the row; nothing here is hidden behind a sales call.

Web IDE

Query console in the dashboard, no extra client to install.

Included

TLS by default

All connections encrypted. No setup required.

Included

Always-on connections

Pin a database to your plan's always-on pool so it never hibernates. Free has no pool, so a free database always sleeps when idle; Solo includes 768 MB of pool and Pro 1.5 GB.

Included, Paid plans

Scale to zero

Hibernates when idle. Wakes on the next connection.

Included

Connection pooling

Pooled endpoint for serverless and edge workloads.

Not available

Direct connections

Bypass the pooler for migrations and replication.

Included

Native HTTPS endpoint

Engines whose own wire protocol speaks HTTPS. Every database, including this one, is also queryable over the platform's HTTPS query API and web console.

Included

Serverless driver

Drop-in HTTP driver for edge runtimes (Neon serverless, PlanetScale, Upstash REST, or the engine-native client).

Not available

IP whitelisting

Restrict access to specific IPs or CIDR ranges.

Included

Automatic backups

Scheduled dumps and volume snapshots with one-click restore on paid plans. Free includes 1 manual backup slot you take and restore yourself.

Included, Scheduled: paid plans

What it costs

What CouchDB costs on Layerbase

Plans are flat. There is no per-hour compute meter, no per-database line item, and no ingress or egress fee, so the bill does not change shape when your traffic does. You do not need an AWS, GCP, or Azure account either: Layerbase runs the infrastructure.

Pro$15/mo

Every engine, plus a bigger always-on pool.

Compare every plan

Side by side

Hosted CouchDB, compared

There is no other self-serve managed Apache CouchDB anywhere. IBM Cloudant is built on CouchDB technology with a compatible API rather than being Apache CouchDB itself, and the remaining CouchDB hosting options are quote-only. Layerbase runs real Apache CouchDB, self-serve, on the Pro plan at $15/mo flat.

Competitor facts verified September 7, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing and documentation pages: IBM Cloudant.

More on CouchDB

All articles

Upstream project

Apache CouchDB is developed by the Apache Software Foundation. Layerbase packages and hosts official releases; the engine itself is built upstream.

couchdb.apache.org