Database guides

Neon

Updated 2026-08-11 · 2 min read

Serverless PostgreSQL with branching. Stock catalog, so AddisDB’s Postgres driver gives you the full toolset — minus test clones, which Neon’s own branches replace.

Neon is PostgreSQL with storage and compute separated, so compute can scale to zero when idle and databases can be branched like code. The SQL surface is stock PostgreSQL with a complete catalog, so AddisDB connects with its Postgres driver and the usual toolset applies.

Who it is for

Neon suits teams who want a database per pull request, or who have bursty traffic and would rather not pay for an idle instance. Branching is the headline feature — a branch is a copy-on-write clone of the whole database that takes seconds regardless of size.

The trade-off is the cold start. When a compute has been idle it suspends, and the first query afterwards waits for it to resume. A Test that takes a few seconds on a sleeping branch is normal, not a fault.

Set up the project

  1. In the Neon console open your project and pick the branch you want to connect to.
  2. Open Connection Details and copy the host — it looks like ep-cool-name-123456.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech.
  3. Note the database name (neondb by default) and the role (neondb_owner by default).
  4. Copy or reset the password on that same panel.
  5. If the connection string contains -pooler in the hostname, remove it — use the direct endpoint.
# A direct endpoint; note the required sslmode
psql 'postgresql://neondb_owner:PASSWORD@ep-cool-name-123456.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?sslmode=require'

Connect from AddisDB

  1. New Connection → Neon. Port prefills to 5432, database to neondb and username to neondb_owner.
  2. Paste the endpoint host and the branch password.
  3. Set SSL mode to require. Neon refuses connections without TLS, so this is not optional.
  4. Test, then Save. Give the connection the branch name if you keep several.

What AddisDB gives you

The full PostgreSQL toolset: schema tree, in-grid editing, structured create and alter table, database users, mock data, statement profiling through pg_stat_statements, and the complete EXPLAIN option list with buffers and timings.

The Live Monitor is real — Neon exposes pg_stat_activity, so sessions and table sizes are genuine and backends can be cancelled or terminated.

Test clones are switched off. That is not a gap so much as a duplicate: Neon’s own branching does the same job better and instantly, so create a branch in the Neon console and connect to it as a separate connection.