---
name: neon-postgres
description: Guides and best practices for working with Neon Serverless Postgres. Covers getting started, local development with Neon, choosing a connection method, Neon features, authentication (@neondatabase/auth), PostgREST-style data API (@neondatabase/neon-js), Neon CLI, and Neon's Platform API/SDKs. Use for any Neon-related questions.
category: database
---

# Neon Serverless Postgres

Neon is a serverless Postgres platform that separates compute and storage to offer autoscaling, branching, instant restore, and scale-to-zero. It's fully compatible with Postgres and works with any language, framework, or ORM that supports Postgres.

## When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when users want to:
- Create or manage a Postgres database
- Set up a Neon project or branch
- Connect an application to Neon Postgres
- Use Neon features like branching, autoscaling, or scale-to-zero
- Set up Neon Auth for user authentication
- Use the Neon MCP server, CLI, or API
- Work with the `@neondatabase/serverless` driver or `@neondatabase/neon-js` SDK

## Prerequisites

The Neon MCP server is required for project and database management. It uses OAuth and authenticates via browser on first use — no API key needed.

If MCP tools are not available, guide the user through manual setup:

### Codex

The Neon MCP server should be configured automatically via this plugin. If it isn't, the user can add it manually:

```bash
codex mcp add neon --url https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp
```

Restart Codex, then verify by attempting to list projects.

### Other Tools

Direct the user to the Neon MCP docs for setup steps: https://neon.com/docs/ai/neon-mcp-server

## Neon Documentation

The Neon documentation is the source of truth for all Neon-related information. Always verify claims against the official docs before responding. Neon features and APIs evolve, so prefer fetching current docs over relying on training data.

### Fetching Docs as Markdown

Any Neon doc page can be fetched as markdown in two ways:

1. **Append `.md` to the URL** (simplest): https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching.md
2. **Request `text/markdown`** on the standard URL: `curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching`

Both return the same markdown content. Use whichever method your tools support.

### Finding the Right Page

The docs index lists every available page with its URL and a short description:

```
https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt
```

Common doc URLs are organized in the topic links below. If you need a page not listed here, search the docs index — don't guess URLs.

## What Is Neon

Use this for architecture explanations and terminology (organizations, projects, branches, endpoints) before giving implementation advice.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/what-is-neon.md

## Getting Started

Use this for first-time setup: org/project selection, connection strings, driver installation, optional auth, and initial schema setup.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/getting-started.md

## Connection Methods & Drivers

Use this when you need to pick the correct transport and driver based on runtime constraints (TCP, HTTP, WebSocket, edge, serverless, long-running).

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/connection-methods.md

### Serverless Driver

Use this for `@neondatabase/serverless` patterns, including HTTP queries, WebSocket transactions, and runtime-specific optimizations.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-serverless.md

### Neon JS SDK

Use this for combined Neon Auth + Data API workflows with PostgREST-style querying and typed client setup.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-js.md

## Developer Tools

Use this for local development enablement with `npx neonctl@latest init`, VSCode extension setup, and Neon MCP server configuration.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/devtools.md

### Neon CLI

Use this for terminal-first workflows, scripts, and CI/CD automation with `neonctl`.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-cli.md

## Neon Admin API

The Neon Admin API can be used to manage Neon resources programmatically. It is used behind the scenes by the Neon CLI and MCP server, but can also be used directly for more complex automation workflows or when embedding Neon in other applications.

### Neon REST API

Use this for direct HTTP automation, endpoint-level control, API key auth, rate-limit handling, and operation polling.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-rest-api.md

### Neon TypeScript SDK

Use this when implementing typed programmatic control of Neon resources in TypeScript via `@neondatabase/api-client`.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-typescript-sdk.md

### Neon Python SDK

Use this when implementing programmatic Neon management in Python with the `neon-api` package.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-python-sdk.md

## Neon Auth

Use this for managed user authentication setup, UI components, auth methods, and Neon Auth integration pitfalls in Next.js and React apps.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/neon-auth.md

Neon Auth is also embedded in the Neon JS SDK — so depending on your use case, you may want to use the Neon JS SDK instead of Neon Auth. See https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/connection-methods.md for more details.

## Branching

Use this when the user is planning isolated environments, schema migration testing, preview deployments, or branch lifecycle automation.

Key points:

- Branches are instant, copy-on-write clones (no full data copy).
- Each branch has its own compute endpoint.
- Use the neonctl CLI or MCP server to create, inspect, and compare branches.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon-postgres/references/branching.md

## Autoscaling

Use this when the user needs compute to scale automatically with workload and wants guidance on CU sizing and runtime behavior.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/introduction/autoscaling.md

## Scale to Zero

Use this when optimizing idle costs and discussing suspend/resume behavior, including cold-start trade-offs.

Key points:

- Idle computes suspend automatically (default 5 minutes, configurable) (unless disabled — launch & scale plan only)
- First query after suspend typically has a cold-start penalty (around hundreds of ms)
- Storage remains active while compute is suspended.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/introduction/scale-to-zero.md

## Instant Restore

Use this when the user needs point-in-time recovery or wants to restore data state without traditional backup restore workflows.

Key points:

- Restore windows depend on plan limits.
- Users can create branches from historical points-in-time.
- Time Travel queries can be used for historical inspection workflows.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branch-restore.md

## Read Replicas

Use this for read-heavy workloads where the user needs dedicated read-only compute without duplicating storage.

Key points:

- Replicas are read-only compute endpoints sharing the same storage.
- Creation is fast and scaling is independent from primary compute.
- Typical use cases: analytics, reporting, and read-heavy APIs.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/introduction/read-replicas.md

## Connection Pooling

Use this when the user is in serverless or high-concurrency environments and needs safe, scalable Postgres connection management.

Key points:

- Neon pooling uses PgBouncer.
- Add `-pooler` to endpoint hostnames to use pooled connections.
- Pooling is especially important in serverless runtimes with bursty concurrency.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling.md

## IP Allow Lists

Use this when the user needs to restrict database access by trusted networks, IPs, or CIDR ranges.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/introduction/ip-allow.md

## Logical Replication

Use this when integrating CDC pipelines, external Postgres sync, or replication-based data movement.

Key points:

- Neon supports native logical replication workflows.
- Useful for replicating to/from external Postgres systems.

Link: https://neon.com/docs/guides/logical-replication-guide.md
