Usage metrics

This topic describes Storage, Compute, and Project usage metrics in detail so that you can better manage your plan allowances and extra usage.

Storage

Storage is the total volume of data and history stored in Neon, measured in gibibytes (GiB). It includes the following:

• Data size

  The size of all databases in your Neon projects. You can think of this as a snapshot of your data at a point in time.

• History

  Neon retains a history of changes for all branches to support point-in-time restore and branching.

  • Point-in-time restore is the ability to restore data to an earlier point in time. Neon retains a history of changes in the form of Wite-Ahead Log (WAL) records. You can configure the history retention period. See Point-in-time restore. WAL records that age out of the history retention period are evicted from storage and no longer count toward storage.

  • A branch is a virtual snapshot of your data at the point of branch creation combined with WAL records that capture the branch's data change history from that point forward. When a branch is first created, it adds no storage. No data changes have been introduced yet, and the branch's virtual snapshot still exists in the parent branch's history, which means that it shares this data in common with the parent branch. A branch begins adding to storage when data changes are introduced or when the branch's virtual snapshot falls out of the parent branch's history, in which case the branch's data is no longer shared in common. In other words, branches add storage when you modify data or allow the branch to age out of the parent branch's history.

    Database branches can also share a history. For example, two branches created from the same parent at or around the same time share a history, which avoids additional storage. The same is true for a branch created from another branch. Wherever possible, Neon minimizes storage through shared history. Additionally, to keep storage to a minimum, Neon takes a new branch snapshot if the amount of data changes grows to the point that a new snapshot consumes less storage than retained WAL records.

Storage is calculated in gibibytes (GiB), otherwise known as binary gigabytes. One gibibyte equals 2³⁰ or 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Compute

Compute hour usage is calculated by multiplying compute size by active hours.

compute hours = compute size * active hours

• A single compute hour is one active hour for a compute with 1 vCPU. For a compute with .25 vCPU, it would take 4 active hours to use 1 compute hour. On the other hand, if your compute has 4 vCPUs, it would only take 15 minutes to use 1 compute hour.

• An active hour is a measure of the amount of time a compute is active. The time your compute is idle when suspended due to inactivity is not counted.

• Compute size is measured at regular intervals and averaged to calculate compute hour usage. Compute size in Neon is measured in Compute Units (CUs). One CU has 1 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM. A Neon compute can have anywhere from .25 to 8 CUs, as outlined below:

  Compute Units	vCPU	RAM
  .25	.25	1 GB
  .5	.5	2 GB
  1	1	4 GB
  2	2	8 GB
  3	3	12 GB
  4	4	16 GB
  5	5	20 GB
  6	6	24 GB
  7	7	28 GB
  8	8	32 GB

• A connection from a client or application activates a compute. Activity on the connection keeps the compute in an Active state. A defined period of inactivity (5 minutes by default) places the compute into an Idle state.

How Neon compute features affect usage

Compute-hour usage in Neon is affected by autosuspend, autoscaling, and your minimum and maximum compute size configuration. With these features enabled, you can get a sense of how your compute hour usage might accrue in the following graph.

You can see how compute size scales between your minimum and maximum CPU settings, increasing and decreasing compute usage: compute size never rises above your max level, and it never drops below your minimum setting. With autosuspend, no compute time at all accrues during inactive periods. For projects with inconsistent demand, this can save significant compute usage.

Estimate your compute hour usage

To estimate what your compute hour usage might be per month:

1. Determine the compute size you require, in Compute Units (CUs).

2. Estimate the amount of active hours per month for your compute(s).

3. Input the values into the compute hours formula:

   compute hours = compute size * active hours

   For example, this is a calculation for a 2 vCPU compute that is active for all hours in a month (approx. 730 hours):

   2 * 730 = 1460 compute hours

   This calculation is useful when trying to select the right Neon plan or when estimating the extra compute usage you might need.

   note

   If you plan to use Neon's Autoscaling feature, estimating compute hours is more challenging. Autoscaling adjusts the compute size based on demand within the defined minimum and maximum compute size thresholds. The best approach is to estimate an average compute size and modify the compute hours formula as follows:

   compute hours = average compute size * active hours

   To estimate an average compute size, start with a minimum compute size that can hold your data or working set (see How to size your compute). Pick a maximum compute size that can handle your peak loads. Try estimating an average compute size between those thresholds based on your workload profile for a typical day.

Data Transfers

Data transfer usage refers to the total volume of data transferred out of Neon (known as "egress") during a given billing period. Neon does not charge for egress data, but we do limit the amount of egress available on Free Tier projects to 5 GiB per month.

For all other plans, Neon maintains a reasonable usage policy. This means there is no set limit on data transfers, but usage is expected to stay within a range typical for standard operations. If your usage significantly exceeds this expected range, Neon may reach out to discuss your pattern and possible plan adjustments.

Projects

In Neon, everything starts with a project. A project is a container for your branches, databases, roles, and other resources and settings. A project also defines the region your data and resources reside in. We typically recommend creating a project for each application or each client. In addition to organizing objects, projects are a way to track storage and compute usage by application or client.

The following table outlines project allowances for each Neon plan.

• When you reach your limit on the Free Tier or Launch plan, you cannot create additional projects. Instead, you can upgrade to the Launch or Scale plan, which offers allowances of 10 and 50 projects, respectively.
• Extra projects are available with the Scale plan in units of 10 for $50 each.