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Core concepts

Beta

Lakebase Postgres (Autoscaling Beta) is the next version of Lakebase, available for evaluation only. For production workloads, use Lakebase Public Preview. See choosing between versions to understand which version is right for you.

Lakebase is built on a set of features that enable you to develop, test, and scale your database applications efficiently. This section introduces the core concepts that differentiate Lakebase from traditional database systems.

Autoscaling​

Lakebase automatically adjusts compute resources based on your workload demands. As your application's traffic increases or decreases, compute resources scale up or down without manual intervention or downtime.

Key benefits:

  • Automatic adjustment: Resources scale based on actual demand.
  • No downtime: Scaling happens without interrupting connections.
  • Cost optimization: Pay only for the resources you actually use.
  • Performance consistency: Maintain responsive performance during traffic spikes.

Learn more: Autoscaling | Configure autoscaling

Scale-to-zero​

When your database is idle, Lakebase can automatically scale compute resources down to zero, eliminating costs for unused capacity. When activity resumes, your compute automatically scales back up in seconds.

Key benefits:

  • Zero idle costs: No compute charges when your database is inactive.
  • Instant resume: Databases wake up automatically when accessed.
  • Development-friendly: Ideal for development and staging environments with intermittent usage.
  • Automatic management: No manual intervention required.

Learn more: Scale to zero | Configure scale-to-zero

Database branches​

Database branches in Lakebase work similarly to Git branches for your code. You can create instant, isolated database branches for development, testing, or experimentation without duplicating data or impacting your production environment.

Key benefits:

  • Instant creation: Branches are created in seconds using copy-on-write technology.
  • Cost-efficient: Only modified data is stored separately, minimizing storage costs.
  • Isolated environments: Test changes safely without affecting your primary database.
  • Easy collaboration: Team members can work on separate branches simultaneously.

Learn more: Database branches | Manage branches

Read replicas​

Read replicas are independent read-only computes that perform read operations on the same data as your primary read-write compute. Unlike traditional replicas, Lakebase read replicas don't duplicate data—they read from the same storage layer, enabling instant creation and eliminating additional storage costs.

Key benefits:

  • Horizontal scaling: Distribute read requests across multiple replicas.
  • No data duplication: All replicas read from the same storage.
  • Instant creation: Available in seconds without data copying.
  • Cost-efficient: No additional storage costs, plus autoscaling and scale-to-zero support.

Learn more: Read replicas | Manage read replicas

Instant restore​

Instant point-in-time restore allows you to restore your database to any moment within your restore window. This feature protects against data loss by enabling you to quickly recover from accidental deletions, schema changes, or other unintended modifications.

Key benefits:

  • Point-in-time recovery: Restore to any moment within your configured restore window (2-35 days)
  • Instant operation: Recovery happens in seconds using the same copy-on-write technology as branching.
  • Automatic backup: Your current state is preserved in a backup branch before restore.
  • Complete restore: All databases on the branch are restored to the selected point in time.

Learn more: Point-in-time restore | Configure restore window

How they work together​

These core concepts work together to create a powerful and flexible database platform:

  1. Autoscaling ensures your database has the right amount of compute resources based on demand
  2. Scale-to-zero reduces costs on idle branches by suspending compute when not in use
  3. Database branches let you create isolated environments for development and testing
  4. Read replicas provide additional read capacity when needed, with the same autoscaling and scale-to-zero benefits
  5. Instant restore protects your data by enabling quick recovery from any point within your restore window

This architecture enables you to build and scale database applications with greater flexibility, lower costs, and less operational overhead than traditional database systems.

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