What It Does
Your application needs a database. Monk detects this during code analysis, then provisions and configures it automatically - whether that’s PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or any of 20+ supported databases. You choose how it’s deployed: self-hosted in containers, cloud provider managed services, or third-party managed databases. Monk handles provisioning, connection strings, and configuration. You write queries, Monk handles everything else.How It Works
Automatic Database Detection
During code analysis, Monk identifies your database requirements: What Monk discovers:- Database type (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, etc.)
- ORM/driver being used (Prisma, SQLAlchemy, Mongoose, etc.)
- Connection string references in your code
- Schema files and migrations
- Required database features (full-text search, JSON columns, etc.)
Flexible Deployment Options
Once Monk knows which database you need, it offers deployment options:Option 1: Self-Hosted in Containers
Best for: Development, staging, proof-of-concept- Database runs in a container on your infrastructure
- Monk handles setup, persistence, and configuration
- Quick to spin up, easy to tear down
- Full control over database version and settings
Option 2: Cloud Provider Managed Database
Best for: Production, simplified operations, automatic backups- Uses cloud provider’s managed database service
- Examples: AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure Database, DigitalOcean Managed Database
- Automatic backups, updates, high availability
- You provide cloud credentials, Monk provisions and configures
Option 3: Third-Party Managed Database
Best for: Specialized features, global distribution, serverless scaling- Uses specialized database providers
- Examples: MongoDB Atlas, Redis Cloud, Neon (PostgreSQL), PlanetScale (MySQL)
- Often have free tiers or serverless pricing
- Advanced features like multi-region replication
- Start with MongoDB Community (containerized) for development
- Move to DigitalOcean Managed MongoDB for production simplicity
- Scale to MongoDB Atlas for global distribution and advanced features
Supported Databases
Monk supports 20+ databases out of the box via integrations: Relational Databases:- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- Microsoft SQL Server
- CockroachDB
- TiDB
- MongoDB
- Redis
- Cassandra
- ScyllaDB
- CouchDB
- ArangoDB
- OrientDB
- Neo4j (Graph)
- TimescaleDB
- QuestDB
- DolphinDB
- ClickHouse
- Elasticsearch / OpenSearch
- Solr (search)
- Aerospike
- GridDB
- Hazelcast
- Valkey
Automatic Connection Management
Monk generates and manages database connection strings automatically via Configuration & Wiring: What Monk handles:- Connection string generation (
postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db) - Credentials creation and secure storage
- Network configuration for database access
- Connection pooling settings
- SSL/TLS encryption setup
Data migration between databases is not yet automated. When switching from
self-hosted to managed (or vice versa), Monk updates connection strings but
doesn’t transfer data automatically. You’ll need to migrate data manually
(export/import) or wait for automatic data migration (coming soon).
Database Configuration
Monk can configure database settings to match your requirements: Configurable settings:- Memory allocation and caching
- Connection pool sizes
- Query timeouts
- Storage size and IOPS
- Replication settings
- Performance tuning parameters
Coming Soon
Several database features are actively in development: Automated Backups & Snapshots COMING SOON- Automatic daily backups
- Point-in-time recovery
- Snapshot scheduling
- Backup retention policies
- Schema migration automation
- Database seeding
- Data synchronization between environments
- Automatic data migration when switching database providers
- One-command database operations (vacuum, analyze, reindex)
- Performance diagnostics
- Query optimization suggestions
- Runbook automation for common database tasks
What Makes This Different
Traditional database setup requires:- Choosing between managed services and self-hosting manually
- Learning cloud provider database consoles
- Writing connection strings and managing credentials
- Configuring backups and replication
- Updating application configs when changing database providers
- Managing database-specific settings
Key Capabilities
- Automatic detection - Identifies database requirements from code
- 20+ databases supported - Relational, NoSQL, time-series, search, graph
- Flexible deployment - Self-hosted containers, cloud managed, third-party managed
- Smart recommendations - Monk suggests best option for your use case
- Connection string management - Automatic generation and updates
- Easy switching - Move between deployment options without code changes
- Database configuration - Adjust settings via natural language
- Multi-database applications - PostgreSQL + Redis + MongoDB? No problem
- Secure credential handling - Database passwords stored securely
Related Features
- Code Analysis - How Monk detects database requirements
- Configuration & Wiring - Connection string management
- Cloud Infrastructure - How managed databases are provisioned
- Essential Services - Other infrastructure services Monk manages
- Security - How database credentials are protected
- Integrations - Full list of supported databases and providers