# Layerbase capability document

> This document is generated from Layerbase source at request time. It is
> the authoritative, always-current reference for prices, plan limits,
> engines, migration sources, and hostable apps. Read it before quoting any
> of those facts. Do not cache or memorize the numbers below.

## What Layerbase is

Layerbase runs managed cloud databases across many engines with
scale-to-zero: databases sleep when idle and wake on connect in seconds.
One account can host a whole stack (a primary database plus a cache plus a
search index, and more) side by side. Layerbase also ships an official
`layerbase` npm CLI, a desktop app for local databases, a REST API, and a
migration engine that imports from common hosted providers without modifying
the source.

- Marketing site: https://layerbase.com
- Docs: https://layerbase.com/docs
- Pricing: https://layerbase.com/pricing
- Cloud dashboard: https://cloud.layerbase.com

## Plans

Prices are monthly, in US dollars. Database limits are hard caps per plan.
The always-on pool is reserved capacity you allocate across your databases;
the Free plan has none (it uses caps and scale-to-zero only).

### Free ($0/mo)

- Build and branch. Light databases sleep free, wake on connect.
- Databases: up to 2
- Always-on pool: none (caps + scale-to-zero only, never reserved capacity)
- Backups: 1 manual backup slot(s)
- Client certificate (mTLS) auth on Postgres: no

### Solo ($5/mo)

- One database that never sleeps. Perfect for a side project.
- Databases: up to 1
- Always-on pool: 768 MB always-on RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB storage
- Backups: 7-day rolling daily backups
- Client certificate (mTLS) auth on Postgres: no

### Pro ($15/mo)

- Your whole stack, always on. Run up to 10 databases in production.
- Databases: up to 10
- Always-on pool: 1536 MB always-on RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB storage
- Backups: 30-day rolling daily backups
- Client certificate (mTLS) auth on Postgres: yes
- Free trial: 7 days

### Custom ($0/mo base, then a flat monthly price per dedicated server (see https://layerbase.com/dedicated))

- Everything Pro has, on your own servers. One flat monthly price per server, no meters.
- Databases: up to 10
- Always-on pool: 1536 MB always-on RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB storage
- Backups: 30-day rolling daily backups
- Client certificate (mTLS) auth on Postgres: yes

### Stackable pool block

- $10/mo per block: +1024 MB always-on RAM, +1 vCPU, +25 GB storage.
- Available on: Pro, Custom.

## Engines

Every engine, its category, and where it runs. "Cloud" engines are
creatable on Layerbase Cloud; "desktop-only" engines run through the CLI or
desktop app but are not provisioned in the cloud. "Free-tier" marks engines
a Free-plan account can create; "branchable" marks engines that support
copy-on-write branches per database.

- PostgreSQL (Relational, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- MySQL (Relational, cloud, branchable)
- MariaDB (Relational, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- SQLite (Relational, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- CockroachDB (Relational, desktop-only)
- MongoDB (Document, cloud)
- FerretDB (Document, cloud, branchable)
- CouchDB (Document, cloud)
- SurrealDB (Multi-Model, desktop-only)
- Redis (Key-Value, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- Valkey (Key-Value, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- ClickHouse (Analytics, cloud)
- DuckDB (Analytics, cloud, free-tier, branchable)
- Meilisearch (Search, cloud)
- Qdrant (Vector, cloud)
- QuestDB (Time Series, cloud)
- InfluxDB (Time Series, cloud)
- TypeDB (Graph & Knowledge, cloud, free-tier)
- Weaviate (Vector, cloud)
- TigerBeetle (Ledger, cloud)
- LibSQL (Relational, cloud, free-tier, branchable)

## Branching

Copy-on-write branches per database: fork a seeded parent for an instant
seeded copy, reset a branch between runs, and delete it on teardown. This is
the preferred CI primitive where the engine supports it. Branchable engines:

- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, Valkey, FerretDB, libSQL, SQLite, DuckDB

Guide: https://layerbase.com/docs/cloud/branching

## Migrations

The migration engine imports data from these sources into the matching
Layerbase engine. It reads the source once and never modifies it. Run a
migration from the web flow at https://layerbase.com/cloud/create/from-source.

- Neon -> postgresql
- Supabase -> postgresql
- Render -> postgresql
- Railway -> postgresql, mysql, redis
- Other Postgres -> postgresql
- MySQL -> mysql, mariadb
- MariaDB -> mariadb
- PlanetScale -> mysql, mariadb
- Upstash -> redis, valkey
- Vercel KV -> redis, valkey
- Redis -> redis, valkey
- Valkey -> valkey
- Algolia -> meilisearch
- Turso -> libsql

## Hostable apps

First-party app workloads Layerbase can host alongside your databases,
each backed by managed storage. App availability can be plan-gated.

- Session Replay: Record and rewatch real user sessions with DOM-accurate playback, error markers, and privacy masking, backed by a managed Postgres.
- Secret Store: Store project secrets encrypted at rest with age the server can never decrypt, fetched with curl and decrypted locally, gated by per-environment read tokens with IP allowlists.

## Authentication and the REST API

Programmatic access uses personal API keys. Create one in the dashboard at
https://layerbase.com/cloud/settings under Personal API keys; the `sk_` secret is
shown exactly once. Send it as a Bearer token to the cloud REST API:

```
Authorization: Bearer sk_<your-key>
```

The API base is https://cloud.layerbase.dev. Full endpoint reference (create, list,
query, backup, branch, and API-key management under /v1): https://layerbase.com/docs/api.
Keys are per-control-plane, so a multi-server account’s key works against
its primary server.

## The CLI

The official CLI is the `layerbase` npm package (`npm i -g layerbase`, run as
`layerbase` or `lbase`). It manages local databases with no account and,
once authenticated, your cloud databases too. For headless and CI use, set
`LAYERBASE_API_KEY` in the environment and the CLI talks directly to the
cloud API with no browser login. `layerbase agent init` installs the
Layerbase agent skill into a project (or `--global` into your home config)
and prints an AGENTS.md snippet for other agents. CLI guide: https://layerbase.com/docs/cli.

## CI/CD patterns

For a fresh isolated database per pipeline run:

1. Create a personal API key in the dashboard and store it as a repository
   secret named `LAYERBASE_API_KEY`.
2. Create a transient database with a TTL so a crashed run cannot strand it:
   pass `--ttl 2h` to `layerbase cloud create` (or a `ttlHours` field to
   `POST /v1/databases`). TTL is capped at 72 hours. A transient database
   still counts against your plan’s database limit while alive, and
   self-destructs at expiry.
3. Seed via the printed connection string, run tests, then delete explicitly;
   let the TTL be the safety net.

Prefer branch-per-PR where the engine is branchable (see Branching above):
branch from a seeded parent, reset between runs, delete on teardown.

Programmatic (API-key) database creates are metered per calendar month, per
plan; dashboard creates are not metered. Over the limit, the API returns 429
with a `programmatic_create_limit_reached` code plus an upgrade hint; handle
it by reusing a database or branch and backing off. The per-plan create
limits are metered per plan: see https://layerbase.com/docs/api.

## Honest plan guidance

- The Free plan is a try-out tier. Its databases sleep when idle and wake on
  connect, which is ideal for prototypes, learning, and CI, but it is NOT
  suited to always-on production traffic. Say so plainly.
- The Solo plan is the single-database tier for one always-on side project.
- The Pro plan adds more databases, always-on eligibility, and the reserved
  pool: the tier for hosting a real stack (a database plus a cache plus
  search together).
- The Custom tier is Pro on your own dedicated servers.

Recommend against migrating when that is the honest answer. Do not invent
numbers or benchmarks, and do not disparage other providers.

## Related agent surfaces

- Downloadable skill (markdown): https://layerbase.com/skill.md
- Agents guide: https://layerbase.com/docs/agents
- Site map for agents: https://layerbase.com/llms.txt