---
layout: integration
title: node-postgres with managed PostgreSQL
description: Query an Appwrite native PostgreSQL database from Node.js with the node-postgres (pg) driver
date: 2026-11-06
featured: false
isPartner: false
isNew: true
cover: /images/integrations/sql-node-postgres/cover.avif
category: databases
product:
    vendor: node-postgres
    description: 'node-postgres, published as the pg package, is a widely used open-source PostgreSQL client for Node.js with built-in connection pooling.'
platform:
    - 'Cloud'
---

[node-postgres](https://node-postgres.com/), published on npm as `pg`, is an open-source PostgreSQL client for Node.js. It supports parameterized queries, transactions, and a built-in connection `Pool`, and many ORMs and auth libraries use it underneath.

# How does the integration work?

An Appwrite native PostgreSQL database is a standard PostgreSQL engine that Appwrite provisions in your project's region, with its own hostname, credentials, and TLS. node-postgres connects to it like any other PostgreSQL server, so you get a connection pool you control and a thin data layer with no Appwrite-specific adapter.

Long-running servers can connect to the engine directly on port `5432`. Serverless functions should connect through the database's connection pooler on port `6432`, which absorbs the connection fan-out of many short-lived instances.

**Available on Appwrite Cloud**

Native PostgreSQL databases run in every Appwrite Cloud region and are available on paid plans.

# How to implement

To query an Appwrite native PostgreSQL database with node-postgres, there are several steps you must complete:

## Step 1: Create a native PostgreSQL database

[Create an account on Appwrite Cloud](/sign-up) if you haven't already. In your project, go to **Databases**, click **Create database**, and select **PostgreSQL** from the **Native databases** group. Pick a specification and click **Create database**. The database becomes `ready` within a few minutes.

Open the database and click **Credentials**. The **Details** tab shows the host, port, user, password, and database name. The primary user is `admin`. Keep the password in an environment variable and never commit it.

## Step 2: Create a pool

Install the driver with `npm install pg`, then create one `Pool` at startup and reuse it for every request:

```js
import { Pool } from 'pg';

const pool = new Pool({
    host: 'db-<hash>.<region>.appwrite.center',
    port: 5432,
    user: 'admin',
    password: process.env.DB_PASSWORD,
    database: '<database>',
    ssl: { rejectUnauthorized: true },
    max: 10,
    idleTimeoutMillis: 30000,
    connectionTimeoutMillis: 5000
});
```

`ssl: { rejectUnauthorized: true }` verifies the server certificate against Node's built-in CA store. The certificate is signed by a public CA, so you don't need to download a custom bundle. Never ship `rejectUnauthorized: false` to production.

Every connection in `max`, across every running instance, counts against your specification's connection cap. Size `max` to that cap divided by your replica count.

## Step 3: Use the pooler from serverless runtimes

On Lambda, Cloud Run, Vercel, and similar platforms, set `port: 6432` to connect through the pooler, keep `max` at `1` or `2`, and create the pool at module scope so warm invocations reuse it.

The pooler defaults to transaction mode, which does not support server-side prepared statements. node-postgres only prepares a statement when you pass a `name` in the query config, so leave `name` out of queries sent through port `6432`. For named prepared statements, advisory locks, `LISTEN`/`NOTIFY`, or temporary tables, use port `5432` or switch the pooler to session mode. Run migrations on port `5432`.

On edge runtimes that can't open TCP sockets, such as Cloudflare Workers, use the database's [SQL API](/docs/products/databases/postgresql/quick-start#first-queries) over HTTPS instead.

## Step 4: Test the connection

Run a parameterized query to confirm the pool can reach the database:

```js
const { rows } = await pool.query('SELECT now() AS time, $1::text AS greeting', ['hello']);
console.log(rows[0]);
```

If the connection times out, check whether an IP allowlist on the database blocks your egress IP, and raise `connectionTimeoutMillis` to absorb cold starts on smaller specifications.

# Read more about node-postgres and Appwrite Databases

If you would like to learn more about node-postgres and Appwrite Databases, we have some resources that you should visit:

- [Node.js drivers for native PostgreSQL databases](/docs/products/databases/postgresql/integrations/drivers)
- [Connect to a native PostgreSQL database](/docs/products/databases/postgresql/connections)
- [PostgreSQL connection pooling](/docs/products/databases/postgresql/connection-pooling)
- [Managed PostgreSQL on Appwrite](/docs/products/databases/postgresql)
- [node-postgres documentation](https://node-postgres.com/)