Overview
Neon separates storage from compute so a database branch behaves like a Git branch.
Key features
- Database branching
- Scale to zero
- Instant restore
Pros
- Real Postgres
- Branch per pull request
Cons
- Cold starts on idle compute
Use this if
You need a serverless Postgres backend that scales automatically, want to branch databases for testing, require integrated authentication and storage, or are building AI agent infrastructure.
Skip this if
You need a fully managed relational database without learning new concepts like CU-hours and branching, require 24/7 always-on compute without scale-to-zero, or prefer traditional fixed-capacity provisioning.
Best for
Preview environmentsServerless applications
Alternatives
Supabase (Postgres with Auth and Storage)AWS RDS (managed Postgres)PlanetScale (serverless MySQL)Firebase (NoSQL backend)Railway (full-stack deployment platform)
More Hosting
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SDK and infrastructure platform for building TikTok-grade short-form video feeds in consumer apps.
