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DBLab Engine

⚡ Blazing-fast PostgreSQL cloning and branching 🐘

🛠️ Build powerful dev/test environments.
🔃 Cover 100% of DB migrations with CI tests.
💡 Quickly verify ChatGPT ideas to get rid of hallucinations.

Available for any PostgreSQL, including self-managed and managed services^* like AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Supabase, and Timescale.

It can be installed and used anywhere: across all cloud environments and on-premises.

Features | Documentation | Blog | Community & Support | Contributing

_{^*For managed PostgreSQL cloud services like AWS RDS or Heroku, direct physical connection and PGDATA access aren't possible. In these cases, DBLab should run on a separate VM within the same region. It will routinely auto-refresh its data, effectively acting as a database-as-a-service solution. This setup then offers thin database branching ideal for development and testing.}

Why DBLab?

Build dev/QA/staging environments using full-scale, production-like databases.
Provide temporary full-size database clones for SQL query analysis and optimization (see also: SQL optimization chatbot Joe).
Automatically test database changes in CI/CD pipelines, minimizing risks of production incidents.
Rapidly validate ChatGPT or other LLM concepts, check for hallucinations, and iterate towards effective solutions.

For example, cloning a 1 TiB PostgreSQL database takes just about 10 seconds. On a single machine, you can have dozens of independent clones running simultaneously, supporting extensive development and testing activities without any added hardware costs.

Try it yourself right now:

Visit Postgres.ai Console, set up your first organization, and provision a DBLab Standard Edition (DBLab SE) to any cloud or on-premises environment.
- Pricing (starting at $62/month)
- Documentation: How to install DBLab SE
Demo: https://demo.dblab.dev (use the token demo-token to access)
Looking for a free version? Install the DBLab Community Edition by following this tutorial.

How it works

Thin cloning is fast because it is based on Copy-on-Write (CoW). DBLab employs two technologies for enabling thin cloning: ZFS (default) and LVM.

Using ZFS, DBLab routinely takes new snapshots of the data directory, managing a collection of them and removing old or unused ones. When requesting a fresh clone, users have the option to select their preferred snapshot.

Where to start

DBLab tutorial for any PostgreSQL database
DBLab tutorial for Amazon RDS
How to install DBLab SE using Postgres.ai Console
How to install DBLab SE using AWS Marketplace

Case studies

GitLab: How GitLab iterates on SQL performance optimization workflow to reduce downtime risks

Features

Speed & scale
- Blazing-fast cloning of PostgreSQL databases – clone in seconds, irrespective of database size
- Theoretical max of snapshots/clones: 2⁶⁴ (ZFS, default)
- Maximum size of PostgreSQL data directory: 256 quadrillion zebibytes, or 2¹²⁸ bytes (ZFS, default)
Support & technologies
- Supported PostgreSQL versions: 9.6–17
- Thin cloning (CoW) technologies: ZFS and LVM
- UI for manual tasks and API & CLI for automation
- Packaged in Docker containers for all components
PostgreSQL containers
- Popular extensions including contrib modules, pgvector, HypoPG and many others (docs)
- Customization capabilities for containers (docs)
- Docker container and PostgreSQL configuration parameters in the DBLab config
Source database requirements
- Location flexibility: self-managed PostgreSQL, AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure, etc.—no source adjustments needed.
- No ZFS or Docker requirements for source databases
Data provisioning & retrieval
- Physical (pg_basebackup, WAL-G, pgBackRest) and logical (dump/restore) provisioning
- Partial data retrieval in logical mode (specific databases/tables)
- Continuous update in physical mode
- Periodic full refresh in logical mode without downtime
Recovery & management
- Fast Point in Time Recovery (PITR) for physical mode
- Auto-deletion of unused clones
- Snapshot retention policies in DBLab configuration
Clones
- "Deletion protection" for preventing clone deletion
- Persistent clones withstand DBLab restarts
- "Reset" command for data version switching
- Resource quotas: CPU, RAM
Monitoring & security
- /healthz API endpoint (no auth), extended /status endpoint (API docs)
- Netdata module for insights

How to contribute

Support us on GitHub/GitLab

The simplest way to show your support is by giving us a star on GitHub or GitLab! ⭐

Spread the word

Tweet about DBLab and mention @Database_Lab.
Share a link to this repository on your favorite social media platform.

Share your experience

If DBLab has been a vital tool for you, tell the world about your journey. Use the logo from the ./assets folder for a visual touch. Whether it's in documents, presentations, applications, or on your website, let everyone know you trust and use DBLab.

HTML snippet for lighter backgrounds:

<a href="http://databaselab.io">
  <img width="400" src="https://postgres.ai/assets/powered-by-dle-for-light-background.svg" />
</a>

For darker backgrounds:

<a href="http://databaselab.io">
  <img width="400" src="https://postgres.ai/assets/powered-by-dle-for-dark-background.svg" />
</a>

Propose an idea or report a bug

For proposals, bug reports, and participation in development, see our Contributing Guide.

Reference guides

DBLab components
Client CLI reference
DBLab API reference
DBLab configuration reference

How-to guides

How to install and initialize Database Lab CLI
How to manage DBLab
How to work with clones
How to work with branches – TBD
How to integrate DBLab with GitHub Actions – TBD
How to integrate DBLab with GitLab CI/CD – TBD

You can find more in the "How-to guides" section of the documentation.

Miscellaneous

DBLab Docker images
Extended Docker images for PostgreSQL (with plenty of extensions)
SQL Optimization chatbot (Joe Bot)
DB Migration Checker

License

The DBLab source code is licensed under the OSI-approved open source license Apache 2.0.

Reach out to the Postgres.ai team if you want a trial or commercial license that does not contain the GPL clauses: Contact page.

Community & Support

Database Lab Engine Community Covenant Code of Conduct
Where to get help: Contact page.
Community Slack
If you need to report a security issue, follow the instructions in Database Lab Engine Security Guidelines.

Many thanks to our amazing contributors!

Translations

Making DBLab more accessible to engineers around the globe is a great help for the project. Check details in the translation section of contributing guide.

This README is available in the following translations:

German / Deutsch (by @ane4ka)
Brazilian Portuguese / Português (BR) (by @Alexand)
Russian / Pусский (by @Tanya301)
Spanish / Español (by @asotolongo)
Ukrainian / Українська (by @denis-boost)

👉 How to make a translation contribution

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