Summary: Neon databases are Postgres containers for schemas, tables, and indexes that exist within a project branch. Use this page to create, rename, or delete databases via the Neon Console, CLI, API, or SQL. Note that the TABLESPACE parameter is not supported. Because Neon roles are not full Postgres superusers, ownership transfers require a group-role workaround using ALTER TABLE ... OWNER TO or REASSIGN OWNED.

A database is a container for SQL objects such as schemas, tables, views, functions, and indexes. In the Neon object model, a database exists within a branch of a project. There is a limit of 500 databases per branch.

If you do not specify your own database name when creating a project, your project's default branch is created with a database called neondb, which is owned by your project's default role (see Manage roles for more information). You can create your own databases in a project's default branch or in a child branch.

All databases in Neon are created with a public schema. SQL objects are created in the public schema, by default. For more information about the public schema, refer to The Public schema, in the PostgreSQL documentation.

Note: As of Postgres 15, only a database owner has the CREATE privilege on a database's public schema. For other users, the CREATE privilege must be granted manually via a GRANT CREATE ON SCHEMA public TO <username>; statement. For more information, see Public schema privileges.

Databases belong to a branch. If you create a child branch, databases from the parent branch are copied to the child branch. For example, if database mydb exists in the parent branch, it will be copied to the child branch. The only time this does not occur is when you create a branch that includes data up to a particular point in time. If a database was created in the parent branch after that point in time, it is not duplicated in the child branch.

Neon supports creating and managing databases from the Neon Console, CLI, and API, and directly with SQL.

The role that creates a database is automatically made the owner of that database. The neon_superuser role is also granted all privileges on databases created in the Neon Console. For information about this role, see The neon_superuser role.

Console

1. Navigate to the Neon Console.
2. Select a project.
3. Select your branch from the project/branch menu at the top of the sidebar.
4. Under Postgres database, select Databases.
5. Click Add database.
6. Enter a database name, and select a database owner.
7. Click Create.

CLI

Create a database with neon databases create. If you omit --branch, the CLI uses the project's default branch:

neon databases create --name mydb --owner-name casey

API

Create a database with the Create database endpoint. A database name and owner_name are required:

curl 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/dry-heart-13671059/branches/br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl/databases' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "database": {
    "name": "mydb",
    "owner_name": "casey"
  }
}'

{
  "database": {
    "id": 2889509,
    "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
    "name": "mydb",
    "owner_name": "casey",
    "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z"
  },
  "operations": [
    {
      "id": "b51c8ece-b78e-49f7-8ec1-78b37cbae3c4",
      "project_id": "dry-heart-13671059",
      "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
      "endpoint_id": "ep-holy-heart-afbmgcfx",
      "action": "apply_config",
      "status": "running",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z",
      "total_duration_ms": 0
    }
  ]
}

Note: Some names are not permitted. See Reserved database names.

Console

1. Navigate to the Neon Console.
2. Select a project.
3. Select your branch from the project/branch menu at the top of the sidebar.
4. Under Postgres database, select Databases.

CLI

List databases with neon databases list. If you omit --branch, the CLI uses the project's default branch:

neon databases list

┌────────┬────────────┬──────────────────────┐
│ Name   │ Owner Name │ Created At           │
├────────┼────────────┼──────────────────────┤
│ neondb │ casey      │ 2023-06-19T18:27:19Z │
├────────┼────────────┼──────────────────────┤
│ mydb   │ casey      │ 2023-06-19T18:27:19Z │
└────────┴────────────┴──────────────────────┘

API

List databases for a branch with the List databases endpoint:

curl 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/dry-heart-13671059/branches/br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl/databases' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY"

{
  "databases": [
    {
      "id": 1139149,
      "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
      "name": "neondb",
      "owner_name": "casey",
      "created_at": "2023-01-04T18:38:23Z",
      "updated_at": "2023-01-04T18:38:23Z"
    },
    {
      "id": 1140822,
      "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
      "name": "mydb",
      "owner_name": "casey",
      "created_at": "2023-01-04T21:17:17Z",
      "updated_at": "2023-01-04T21:17:17Z"
    }
  ]
}

Rename a database with the Update database endpoint, or with SQL. This example renames mydb to database1:

curl -X PATCH 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/dry-heart-13671059/branches/br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl/databases/mydb' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "database": {
    "name": "database1"
  }
}'

{
  "database": {
    "id": 2889509,
    "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
    "name": "database1",
    "owner_name": "casey",
    "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z"
  },
  "operations": [
    {
      "id": "2f8c0a6a-33b5-4d56-964b-739614b699c0",
      "project_id": "dry-heart-13671059",
      "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
      "endpoint_id": "ep-holy-heart-afbmgcfx",
      "action": "apply_config",
      "status": "running",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:17:22Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:17:22Z",
      "total_duration_ms": 0
    }
  ]
}

Deleting a database is a permanent action. All database objects belonging to the database such as schemas, tables, and roles are also deleted.

Console

1. Navigate to the Neon Console.
2. Select a project.
3. Select your branch from the project/branch menu at the top of the sidebar.
4. Under Postgres database, select Databases.
5. For the database you want to delete, click the delete icon.
6. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete.

CLI

Delete a database with neon databases delete:

neon databases delete database1

API

Delete a database with the Delete database endpoint:

curl -X 'DELETE' \
  'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/dry-heart-13671059/branches/br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl/databases/database1' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY"

{
  "database": {
    "id": 2889509,
    "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
    "name": "database1",
    "owner_name": "casey",
    "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:14:14Z"
  },
  "operations": [
    {
      "id": "4cd4881b-2807-4377-a76d-8e7d39bc5448",
      "project_id": "dry-heart-13671059",
      "branch_id": "br-morning-meadow-afu2s1jl",
      "endpoint_id": "ep-holy-heart-afbmgcfx",
      "action": "apply_config",
      "status": "running",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2025-08-04T08:19:39Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-08-04T08:19:39Z",
      "total_duration_ms": 0
    }
  ]
}

You can create and manage databases in Neon with SQL, as you can with any standalone Postgres installation. To create a database, issue a CREATE DATABASE statement from a client such as psql or from the Neon SQL Editor.

CREATE DATABASE testdb;

Most standard Postgres CREATE DATABASE parameters are supported with the exception of TABLESPACE. This parameter requires access to the local file system, which is not permitted in Neon.

The role that creates a database is the owner of the database.

Note: As of Postgres 15, only a database owner has the CREATE privilege on a database's public schema. For other users, the CREATE privilege on the public schema must be granted explicitly via a GRANT CREATE ON SCHEMA public TO <username>; statement. For more information, see Public schema privileges.

For more information about database object privileges in Postgres, see Privileges.

To rename a database, use ALTER DATABASE. Postgres won't let you rename a database while you're connected to it, so connect to a different database on the same branch first (for example, the default neondb), then run:

ALTER DATABASE old_db_name RENAME TO new_db_name;

If open connections to the database block the rename, terminate them first:

SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid)
FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE datname = 'old_db_name'
  AND pid <> pg_backend_pid();

The rename is instant, and data, schemas, tables, roles, and grants are unaffected. The database name is part of every connection string for the database, so update any application, script, or stored secret that references the old name. You can also rename a database with the Neon API.

To delete a database, use DROP DATABASE. As with renaming, connect to a different database on the same branch first, since Postgres won't drop the database you're connected to:

DROP DATABASE old_db_name;

Deletion is permanent. All schemas, tables, indexes, and other objects in the database are dropped along with it. You can also delete a database from the Neon Console, CLI, or API.

In Neon, roles created via the Console, CLI, or API are members of neon_superuser but are not full Postgres superusers. This means you can't directly transfer ownership of a database table from one role to another using ALTER TABLE ... OWNER TO.

The workaround is to introduce a shared group role that both roles belong to. You transfer ownership to the group, then the destination role can claim ownership for itself.

Note: In the example below, current_owner, new_owner, and table_owners are placeholder role and group names. Replace them with names from your own environment.

1. Connect as the database owner role and run:

   -- Create a group role with no login
   CREATE ROLE table_owners NOLOGIN;
   
   -- Grant schema access to the group
   GRANT USAGE, CREATE ON SCHEMA public TO table_owners;
   
   -- Add both roles to the group
   GRANT table_owners TO current_owner;
   GRANT table_owners TO new_owner;

   Replace current_owner and new_owner with the actual role names.

2. Still connected as current_owner, transfer the table to the group:

   ALTER TABLE your_table OWNER TO table_owners;

3. Connect as new_owner. Transfer ownership from the group to yourself:

   ALTER TABLE your_table OWNER TO new_owner;

4. Verify ownership:

   \dt your_table

   The Owner column should now show new_owner.

5. Leave the table_owners group role in place if you need to transfer other tables later, or drop it when you're done:

   DROP ROLE table_owners;

   DROP ROLE table_owners works only after that role no longer owns any objects and has no blocking dependencies.

The numbered steps above show how to transfer one table with ALTER TABLE ... OWNER TO.

If you need to transfer ownership for everything a role owns in a database, use REASSIGN OWNED instead of running ALTER ... OWNER TO for each table.

REASSIGN OWNED includes tables and other object types owned by the role, such as views, materialized views, sequences, functions, schemas, and types.

Connect as current_owner and move all owned objects to the shared group:

REASSIGN OWNED BY current_owner TO table_owners;

Then connect as new_owner and move those objects from the group to the destination role:

REASSIGN OWNED BY table_owners TO new_owner;

REASSIGN OWNED applies within the current database context. Run it in each database where you need to transfer ownership.

Note:

• REASSIGN OWNED runs in the current database context, so run it in each database where you need to transfer ownership.
• REASSIGN OWNED reassigns ownership only. It does not change existing GRANT permissions or default privileges.

The following names are reserved and cannot be given to a database:

• postgres
• template0
• template1

• Projects
• Multitenancy
• Branches
• Computes
• Roles
• Tables
• Integrations

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