PlanetScale

PlanetScale is a serverless MySQL-compatible database platform that provides horizontal scalability, fault tolerance, and developer-friendly features like database branching. Built upon the open-source Vitess project, it simplifies the complexities of operating and scaling relational databases,…

Key facts

First appeared: 2018
Category: technology
Problem solved: PlanetScale was created to solve the acute challenges associated with scaling traditional MySQL databases, particularly the operational burden of sharding, managing complex schema changes without downtime, and ensuring high availability. It democratizes the power of Vitess, which was initially developed for hyperscalers, making scalable relational databases accessible to a broader developer audience.
Platforms: Cloud (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure infrastructure), Managed Service (accessed via API/standard clients)

Related technologies

Prisma
Drizzle ORM
Node.js
Vercel
Ruby on Rails
Python
Netlify
Go
Serverless Functions
Next.js

Notable users

Rive
Linear
supabase (as an integration option)
Vercel