Manage branches

Data resides in a branch. Each Neon project is created with a root branch called main, which is also designated as your primary branch. You can create child branches from main or from previously created branches. A branch can contain multiple databases and roles. Tier limits define the number of branches you can create in a project and the amount of data you can store in a branch.

A child branch is a copy-on-write clone of the parent branch. You can modify the data in a branch without affecting the data in the parent branch. For more information about branches and how you can use them in your development workflows, see Branching.

You can create and manage branches using the Neon Console, Neon CLI, or Neon API.

Primary branch

Each Neon project has a primary branch. In the Neon Console, your primary branch is identified by a PRIMARY tag. You can designate any branch as the primary branch for your project. The advantage of the primary branch is that its compute endpoint remains accessible if you exceed your project's limits, ensuring uninterrupted access to data that resides on the primary branch, which is typically the branch used in production.

• For Neon Free Tier users, the compute endpoint associated with the primary branch is always available.
• For users on paid plans, the compute endpoint associated with the primary branch is exempt from the limit on simultaneously active computes, ensuring that it is always available. Neon has a default limit of 20 simultaneously active computes to protect your account from unintended usage.

Non-primary branch

Any branch not designated as the primary branch is considered a non-primary branch. You can rename or delete non-primary branches.

• For Neon Free Tier users, compute endpoints associated with non-primary branches are suspended if you exceed the Neon Free Tier active hours limit of 20 hours per month.
• For users on paid plans, default limits prevent more than 20 simultaneously active compute endpoints. Beyond that limit, a compute endpoint associated with a non-primary branch remains suspended.

Protected branch

"Protected" is a status assigned to a branch that limits access based on IP addresses. Only IPs listed in the project’s IP allowlist can access this branch. Typically, a protected status is given to a branch or branches that hold production data or sensitive data. The protected branch feature is only supported on Neon's Scale plan, where you can designate up to 5 protected branches. For information about how to configure a protected branch, see Set a branch as protected.

Create a branch

To create a branch:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.

2. Select Branches.

3. Click New Branch to open the branch creation dialog.

4. Enter a name for the branch.

5. Select a parent branch. You can branch from your Neon project's primary branch or a non-primary branch.

6. Select an Include data up to option to specify the data to be included in your branch.

   • Current point in time: Creates a branch with the latest available data from the parent (the default).
   • Specific date and time: Creates a branch with data up to a specific date and time, allowing for point-in-time restore.
   • Specific Log Sequence Number: Creates a branch with data up to a specific Log Sequence Number (LSN) in the database log, allowing for precise point-in-time restore.

   note

   The Specific date and time and the Specific Log Sequence Number Data options do not include data changes that occured after the specified date and time or LSN, which means the branch contains data as it existed previously, allowing for point-in-time restore. You can only specify a date and time or LSN value that falls within your history retention window. See Configure history retention.

7. Click Create new branch to create your branch.

You are directed to the Branches page where you are shown the details for your new branch.

View branches

To view the branches in a Neon project:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.

2. Select Branches to view all current branches in the project.

   

   Branch details in this table view include:

   • Parent: Indicates the parent from which this branch was created, helping you track your branch hierarchy.
   • Active time: Number of hours the branch's compute was active so far in the current billing period.
   • RW Compute: Shows the current compute size and activity status for the branch's compute.
   • Data size: Indicates the logical data size of each branch, helping you monitor your plan's storage limit. Does not include shared history.
   • Last active: Shows when the branch's compute was last active.

3. Select a branch from the table to view details about the branch.

   

   Branch details shown on the branch page include:

   • ID: The branch ID. Branch IDs have a br- prefix.
   • Created: The date and time the branch was created.
   • Active Since: The active hours used by the branch compute in the current billing period.
   • Compute Time: The compute hours used by the branch in the current billing period.
   • Parent Branch: The branch from which this branch was created (only applicable to child branches).
   • Branching Point: The point in time, in terms of data, from which the branch was created (only applicable to child branches).
   • Last Data Reset: The last time the branch was reset from the parent branch (only applicable to child branches).

The branch details page also includes details about the compute endpoint associated with the branch. For more information, see View a compute endpoint.

Rename a branch

Neon permits renaming a branch, including your project's primary branch. To rename a branch:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.
2. Select Branches to view the branches for the project.
3. Select a branch from the table.
4. On the branch page, click the More drop-down menu and select Rename.
5. Specify a new name for the branch and click Save.

Set a branch as primary

Each Neon project is created with a primary branch called main, but you can designate any branch as your project's primary branch. The benefit of the primary branch is that the compute endpoint associated with the primary branch remains accessible if you exceed project limits, ensuring uninterrupted access to data on the primary branch. For more information, see Primary branch.

To set a branch as the primary branch:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.
2. Select Branches to view the branches for the project.
3. Select a branch from the table.
4. On the branch page, click the More drop-down menu and select Set as primary.
5. In the Set as primary confirmation dialog, click Set as Primary to confirm your selection.

Set a branch as protected

"Protected" is a status assigned to a branch that limits access based on IP addresses. Only IPs listed in the project’s IP allowlist can access this branch. This feature is available on Neon's Scale plan, which supports up to five protected branches.

For the protected status to have any effect, you must:

1. Define an IP allowlist.
2. Select the Restrict IP access to protected branches only option.

For instructions, see Configure IP Allow.

To designate a branch as protected:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.
2. Select Branches to view the branches for the project.
3. Select a branch from the table.
4. On the branch page, click the More drop-down menu and select Set as protected.
5. In the Set as protected confirmation dialog, click Set as protected to confirm your selection.

For step-by-step instructions, refer to our Protected branches guide.

Connect to a branch

Connecting to a database in a branch requires connecting via a compute endpoint associated with the branch. The following steps describe how to connect using psql and a connection string obtained from the Neon Console.

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.
2. On the project Dashboard, under Connection Details, select the branch, the database, and the role you want to connect with.
3. Copy the connection string. A connection string includes your role name, the compute endpoint hostname, and database name.
4. Connect with psql as shown below.

psql postgres://[user]:[password]@[neon_hostname]/[dbname]

If you want to connect from an application, the Connection Details widget on the project Dashboard and the Guides section in the documentation provide connection examples for various languages and frameworks. For more information about connecting, see Connect from any application.

Reset a branch from parent

Use Neon's Reset from parent feature to instantly update a branch with the latest schema and data from its parent. This feature can be an integral part of your CI/CD automation.

You can use the Neon Console, CLI, or API. For more detail, see Reset from parent.

Restore a branch to its own or another branch's history

There are several restore operations available using Neon's Branch Restore feature:

• Restore a branch to its own history
• Restore a branch to the head of another branch
• Restore a branch to the history of another branch

You can use the Neon Console, CLI, or API. For more detail, see Branch Restore.

Delete a branch

Deleting a branch is a permanent action. Deleting a branch also deletes the databases and roles that belong to the branch as well as the compute endpoint associated with the branch. You cannot delete a branch that has child branches. The child branches must be deleted first.

To delete a branch:

1. In the Neon Console, select a project.
2. Select Branches.
3. Select a branch from the table.
4. On the branch page, click the More drop-down menu and select Delete.
5. On the confirmation dialog, click Delete.

Check the data size

Plan limits define the amount of data you can store.

You can check the logical data size of each branch by viewing the Data size value on the Branches widget or page in the Neon Console. Alternatively, you can run the following query:

SELECT pg_size_pretty(sum(pg_database_size(datname)))
FROM pg_database;

Data size does not include history.

Branching with the Neon CLI

The Neon CLI supports creating and managing branches. For instructions, see Neon CLI commands — branches. For a Neon CLI branching guide, see Branching with the Neon CLI.

Branching with the Neon API

Branch actions performed in the Neon Console can also be performed using the Neon API. The following examples demonstrate how to create, view, and delete branches using the Neon API. For other branch-related API methods, refer to the Neon API reference.

The jq option specified in each example is an optional third-party tool that formats the JSON response, making it easier to read. For information about this utility, see jq.

Prerequisites

A Neon API request requires an API key. For information about obtaining an API key, see Create an API key. In the examples shown below, $NEON_API_KEY is specified in place of an actual API key, which you must provide when making a Neon API request.

Create a branch with the API

The following Neon API method creates a branch. To view the API documentation for this method, refer to the Neon API reference.

POST /projects/{project_id}/branches

The API method appears as follows when specified in a cURL command. The endpoints attribute creates a compute endpoint, which is required to connect to the branch. A branch can be created with or without a compute endpoint. The branch attribute specifies the parent branch.

curl 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/autumn-disk-484331/branches' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "endpoints": [
    {
      "type": "read_write"
    }
  ],
  "branch": {
    "parent_id": "br-wispy-dew-591433"
  }
}' | jq

• The project_id for a Neon project is found on the Project settings page in the Neon Console, or you can find it by listing the projects for your Neon account using the Neon API.
• The parent_id can be obtained by listing the branches for your project. See List branches. The <parent_id> is the id of the branch you are branching from. A branch id has a br- prefix. You can branch from your Neon project's primary branch or a previously created branch.

The response body includes information about the branch, the branch's compute endpoint, and the create_branch and start_compute operations that were initiated.

{
  "branch": {
    "id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
    "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
    "parent_id": "br-wispy-dew-591433",
    "parent_lsn": "0/1AA6408",
    "name": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
    "current_state": "init",
    "pending_state": "ready",
    "created_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
    "updated_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z"
  },

  "endpoints": [
    {
      "host": "ep-small-bush-675287.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech",
      "id": "ep-small-bush-675287",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "branch_id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "autoscaling_limit_min_cu": 1,
      "autoscaling_limit_max_cu": 1,
      "region_id": "aws-us-east-2",
      "type": "read_write",
      "current_state": "init",
      "pending_state": "active",
      "settings": {
        "pg_settings": {}
      },
      "pooler_enabled": false,
      "pooler_mode": "transaction",
      "disabled": false,
      "passwordless_access": true,
      "created_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
      "proxy_host": "us-east-2.aws.neon.tech"
    }
  ],
  "operations": [
    {
      "id": "22acbb37-209b-4b90-a39c-8460090e1329",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "branch_id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "action": "create_branch",
      "status": "running",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "055b17e6-ffe3-47ab-b545-cfd7db6fd8b8",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "branch_id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "endpoint_id": "ep-small-bush-675287",
      "action": "start_compute",
      "status": "scheduling",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z"
    }
  ]
}

List branches with the API

The following Neon API method lists branches for the specified project. To view the API documentation for this method, refer to the Neon API reference.

GET /projects/{project_id}/branches

The API method appears as follows when specified in a cURL command:

curl 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/autumn-disk-484331/branches' \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY" | jq

The project_id for a Neon project is found on the Project settings page in the Neon Console, or you can find it by listing the projects for your Neon account using the Neon API.

The response body lists the project's primary branch and any child branches. The name of the primary branch in this example is main.

{
  "branches": [
    {
      "id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "parent_id": "br-wispy-dew-591433",
      "parent_lsn": "0/1AA6408",
      "name": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "current_state": "ready",
      "logical_size": 28,
      "created_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-08T19:55:43Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "br-wispy-dew-591433",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "name": "main",
      "current_state": "ready",
      "logical_size": 28,
      "physical_size": 31,
      "created_at": "2022-12-07T00:45:05Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-07T00:45:05Z"
    }
  ]
}

Delete a branch with the API

The following Neon API method deletes the specified branch. To view the API documentation for this method, refer to the Neon API reference.

DELETE /projects/{project_id}/branches/{branch_id}

The API method appears as follows when specified in a cURL command:

curl -X 'DELETE' \
  'https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/autumn-disk-484331/branches/br-dawn-scene-747675' \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY" | jq

• The project_id for a Neon project is found on the Project settings page in the Neon Console, or you can find it by listing the projects for your Neon account using the Neon API.
• The branch_id can be found by listing the branches for your project. The <branch_id> is the id of a branch. A branch id has a br- prefix. See List branches.

The response body shows information about the branch being deleted and the suspend_compute and delete_timeline operations that were initiated.

{
  "branch": {
    "id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
    "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
    "parent_id": "br-shy-meadow-151383",
    "parent_lsn": "0/1953508",
    "name": "br-flat-darkness-194551",
    "current_state": "ready",
    "created_at": "2022-12-08T20:01:31Z",
    "updated_at": "2022-12-08T20:01:31Z"
  },
  "operations": [
    {
      "id": "c7ee9bea-c984-41ac-8672-9848714104bc",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "branch_id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "endpoint_id": "ep-small-bush-675287",
      "action": "suspend_compute",
      "status": "running",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2022-12-08T20:01:31Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-08T20:01:31Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "41646f65-c692-4621-9538-32265f74ffe5",
      "project_id": "autumn-disk-484331",
      "branch_id": "br-dawn-scene-747675",
      "action": "delete_timeline",
      "status": "scheduling",
      "failures_count": 0,
      "created_at": "2022-12-06T01:12:10Z",
      "updated_at": "2022-12-06T01:12:10Z"
    }
  ]
}

You can verify that a branch is deleted by listing the branches for your project. See List branches. The deleted branch should no longer be listed.