Features

# Neon Features Overview of Neon's key platform features. For detailed information, fetch the official docs. ## Branching Create instant, copy-on-write clones of your database at any point in time. Branches are isolated environments perfect for development, testing, and preview deployments. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/branching ``` **Key Points:** - Branches are instant (no data copying) - Copy-on-write means branches only store changes from parent - Use for: dev environments, staging, testing, preview deployments - Branches can have their own compute endpoint **Use Cases:** | Use Case | Description | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | Development | Each developer gets isolated branch | | Preview Deployments | Branch per PR/preview URL | | Testing | Reset test data by recreating branch | | Schema Migrations | Test migrations on branch before production | If the Neon MCP server is available, you can use it to list and create branches. Otherwise, refer to the Neon CLI or Platform API. ## Autoscaling Neon automatically scales compute resources based on workload demand. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/autoscaling ``` **Key Points:** - Scales between min and max compute units (CUs) - Responds to CPU and memory pressure - No manual intervention required - Configure limits per project or endpoint ## Scale to Zero Databases automatically suspend after a period of inactivity, reducing costs to storage-only. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/scale-to-zero ``` **Key Points:** - Default suspend after 5 minutes of inactivity (configurable) - First query after suspend has ~500ms cold start - Storage is always maintained - Perfect for dev/staging environments with intermittent use ## Instant Restore Restore your database to any point within your retention window without backups. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/branch-restore ``` **Key Points:** - Point-in-time recovery without pre-configured backups - Restore window depends on plan (7-30 days) - Create branches from any point in history - Time Travel queries to view historical data ## Read Replicas Create read-only compute endpoints to scale read workloads. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/read-replicas ``` **Key Points:** - Read replicas share storage with primary (no data duplication) - Instant creation - Independent scaling from primary - Use for: analytics, reporting, read-heavy workloads ## Connection Pooling Built-in connection pooling via PgBouncer for efficient connection management. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/connect/connection-pooling ``` **Key Points:** - Enabled by adding `-pooler` to endpoint hostname - Transaction mode by default - Supports up to 10,000 concurrent connections - Essential for serverless environments ## IP Allow Lists Restrict database access to specific IP addresses or ranges. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/ip-allow ``` ## Logical Replication Replicate data to/from external Postgres databases. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/guides/logical-replication-guide ``` ## Neon Auth Managed authentication that branches with your database. ```bash curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://neon.tech/docs/auth/overview ``` **Key Points:** - Sign-in/sign-up with email, social providers (Google, GitHub) - Session management - UI components included - Branches with your database For setup, see `neon-auth.md`. For auth + data API, see `neon-js.md`. ## Feature Documentation Reference | Feature | Documentation | Resource | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | Branching | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/branching | - | | Autoscaling | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/autoscaling | - | | Scale to Zero | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/scale-to-zero | - | | Instant Restore | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/branch-restore | - | | Read Replicas | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/read-replicas | - | | Connection Pooling | https://neon.tech/docs/connect/connection-pooling | - | | IP Allow | https://neon.tech/docs/introduction/ip-allow | - | | Logical Replication | https://neon.tech/docs/guides/logical-replication-guide | - | | Neon Auth | https://neon.tech/docs/auth/overview | `neon-auth.md` | | Data API | https://neon.tech/docs/data-api/overview | `neon-js.md` |