Waymaker
Databases

What is a Database?

Learn about What is a Database? in WaymakerOS.

SQLOne per appYou own it

Every app you build on Waymaker Host can have its own Postgres database — a real, fully-managed relational database that you own outright. Not a spreadsheet pretending to be a database, and not a shared table you rent a corner of: genuine Postgres, one dedicated instance per app, running in the region you choose, that speaks the standard SQL you already know and lets you take your data with you whenever you like.

Real Postgres, one per app

Each app gets exactly one Postgres database, fully managed for you — no servers to run, no backups to schedule, no version to patch. When your app needs to remember things — customers, orders, bookings, whatever your app is about — this is where they live. Your app reads and writes it directly in code, and you can browse and query it yourself from the Databases section of Host.

Because it's standard Postgres, everything you already know works: the SQL, the tools, the drivers, the mental model. And because you own it, you're never locked in.

What you get

Standard Postgres SQLTables, columns, foreign keys, indexes, transactions — the real thing. Anything you can do in Postgres, you can do here.
Fully managedWaymaker runs the infrastructure. You get the database; we handle keeping it up.
You own the dataBrowse it, query it, export it, take it elsewhere. No lock-in.
Yours aloneYour app's database is a dedicated instance, private to your app. Nobody else shares it.
A place to workA built-in workspace to browse tables, run read queries, watch activity, and take backups — no separate tool to install.
Reachable from codeApps read and write it with @waymakeros/db; Ambassadors and Agents use ctx.postgres — same SQL surface.

Choose where it lives

When you create a database you pick its region — where in the world your data physically sits:

Region
SydneyAustralia
SingaporeSoutheast Asia
FrankfurtEuropean Union
LondonUnited Kingdom
N. VirginiaUnited States

The region is permanent. It's set for the life of the database and can't be moved later, so choose the one closest to your users (or the one your data-residency rules require) up front.

How you change it, how you read it

There's a deliberate split that keeps your data safe:

  • Reading is easy and everywhere — the built-in SQL console, the table browser, and your app's code (@waymakeros/db, or ctx.postgres in Ambassadors and Agents).
  • Changing the shape of your database (creating tables, adding columns) happens through migrations — ordered, tracked, repeatable steps. This means schema changes are deliberate and reviewable, never an accidental click. See Changing Your Schema.

What it costs

Your database bills daily to its owner's Waymaker credit balance, for the storage it uses, the compute it does, data transfer, and any preview branches. If the owner's balance reaches zero, the database is paused until it's topped up — your data is never deleted, and it comes straight back the moment credits are added. Full detail in Database Billing.

Next Steps