Xata

Open-source Postgres branching with copy-on-write storage and scale-to-zero

postgresbranchingself-hostedscale-to-zero

Websitexata.io

CategoryData & backend

PricingTrial only

Card requiredNo

Open sourceYes

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ABOUT

What is Xata?

Xata is an open-source Postgres platform for creating isolated, production-like branches with copy-on-write storage. Its managed cloud adds scale-to-zero, observability and usage-based billing, while the core can be self-hosted on Kubernetes.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP

What you should know

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Instant copy-on-write branchesBranches share their parent storage and keep only changes, so a production-like database can be created without copying the full dataset.

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Uses vanilla PostgresXata runs upstream PostgreSQL rather than a proprietary fork, so standard Postgres tools, drivers and extensions remain relevant.

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Cloud trial lasts 14 daysXata Cloud starts with a 14-day trial. After that, hosted usage is billed for compute and storage, with no per-branch fee.

Self-hosting needs KubernetesThe open-source platform is self-managed and its official quickstart uses Kubernetes, Kind and Tilt. That is more operational work than using the hosted service.

COMMUNITY

From the forums

Community interest is strongest around Xata's open-source Postgres tooling, especially pgroll and pgstream, and around the promise of cheap isolated branches. Developers tend to value vanilla Postgres and the copy-on-write model, while the main caution is that self-hosting the full platform requires Kubernetes and operational work.

— Community sentiment · Reddit

⭐GitHub 💬Discuss on Reddit ↗

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ABOUT US

Honest, independent, no fluff.

No paid placements. Just a clear look at what this does, what it costs, and what to know before you commit.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is Xata a Postgres fork?＋

No. Xata runs upstream PostgreSQL and adds branching, scale-to-zero and management around it.

Does Xata have a free tier?＋

The self-managed Open Source distribution is free forever. Xata Cloud has a 14-day free trial and then charges $0.012 per hour plus $0.28 per GB per month for storage.

How does Xata branching work?＋

Branches use copy-on-write storage, sharing the parent data and storing only changes. This makes isolated development and preview databases much cheaper than full copies.