PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is DockHosting's most commonly used database engine — the sensible default for most new projects unless you have a specific reason to pick something else.

Versions

16, 15, and 14 are available when you create a database. 16 is the current default for new instances.

Connection string

Injected into your app automatically when you attach the database to a project:

postgres://<user>:<password>@<host>:5432/<database>

Every mainstream Postgres client and ORM (pg, psycopg2/psycopg, pgx, Laravel's Eloquent, Rails' Active Record, Prisma, TypeORM) accepts this format directly.

Extensions

Enable extensions from the dashboard without a manual CREATE EXTENSION session — see Manage. Commonly used ones:

• PostGIS — geospatial queries and types
• pgvector — vector similarity search, for embeddings-based search or recommendations
• uuid-ossp — UUID generation functions

Connecting locally

Off by default — your database is only reachable from your own projects over the private network unless you turn on public access. Once on, standard tools work directly:

psql "postgres://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<database>?sslmode=require"

Backups

Automatic, plus on-demand — see Backups. Restoring uses the standard Postgres dump format, so a downloaded backup works with pg_restore outside DockHosting too if you ever need that.