Connect from any application

When connecting to Neon from an application or client, you connect to a database in your Neon project. In Neon, a database belongs to a branch, which may be the primary branch of your project (main) or a child branch. The primary branch in a Neon project is created with a default database named neondb.

To connect to a database, you must connect to the branch where the database resides, and you must do so by connecting through a compute endpoint associated with the branch.

Project
    |----primary branch (main) ---- compute endpoint <--- application/client
             |    |
             |    |---- database (neondb)
             |
             ---- child branch ---- compute endpoint <--- application/client
                            |
                            |---- database (mydb)

You can obtain the connection details you require from the Connection Details widget on the Neon Dashboard. Select a branch, a role, and the database you want to connect to. A connection string is constructed for you.

Connection details widget

A Neon connection string includes the role, the compute endpoint hostname, and the database name.

postgres://daniel:<password>@ep-restless-rice.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb
             ^                          ^                               ^
             |- <role>                  |- <hostname>                   |- <database>

You can use the details from the connection string or the connection string itself to configure a connection. For example, you might place the connection details in an .env file, assign the connection string to a variable, or pass the connection string on the command-line, as shown:

.env file:

PGHOST='ep-restless-rice.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech'
PGDATABASE='neondb'
PGUSER='daniel'
PGPASSWORD='<password>'
PGPORT='5432'

Variable:

DATABASE_URL="postgres://daniel:<password>@ep-restless-rice.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech:5432/neondb"

Command-line:

psql postgres://daniel:<password>@ep-restless-rice.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb

note

For information about connecting with psql, see Connect with psql. Please be aware that some older client libraries and drivers, including older psql executables, are built without Server Name Indication (SNI) support and require a workaround. For more information, see Connect from older clients.

Some Java-based tools that use the pgJDBC driver for connecting to PostgreSQL, such as DBeaver, DataGrip, and CLion, do not support including a role name and password in a database connection string. When you find that a connection string is not accepted, try entering the role name and password values in the appropriate fields in the tool's UI when configuring a connection to Neon.

Certain applications and clients may require or disallow connection pooling. Neon supports both pooled and non-pooled connection strings. For more information, see Connection pooling.

Where do I obtain a password?

You can obtain a Neon connection string with your password from the Neon Dashboard, under Connection Details.

What port does Neon use?

Neon uses the default PostgreSQL port, 5432.

Connection examples

The Connection Details widget on the Neon Dashboard also provides connection examples for different programming languages and application frameworks, constructed for the branch, database, and role that you select. Click connection examples in the Connection Details widget to view or copy the examples.

Connection details widget

Our Guides documentation also provides connection examples.

Need help?

Send a request to support@neon.tech, or join the Neon community forum.