Neon Launchpad

Neon Launchpad enables instant provisioning of a Postgres database without configuration or account creation.

Built on Neon's serverless Postgres platform, it provides immediate database access for development and testing.

Access it now at neon.new.

Core features

The service provides the following capabilities:

• Instant database provisioning with immediate connection string availability
• Resource limits matching Neon's free plan specifications
• 72-hour database lifespan if not claimed
• Option to claim databases with a unique claim ID and Neon account

Access methods

Browser access

1. Navigate to https://neon.new
2. Select Try in your browser, which redirects to https://neon.new/db
3. Receive an automatically generated connection string
4. Save the provided Claim URL to add this database to a Neon account later, or claim now

Command-line interface

Execute with your preferred package manager:

npx neondb

Integration with development tools

Add Postgres support to Vite projects using the @neondatabase/vite-plugin-postgres plugin:

import postgresPlugin from '@neondatabase/vite-plugin-postgres';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react';
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    postgresPlugin({
      env: '.env', // Path to environment file
      envKey: 'DATABASE_URL', // Environment variable to check
    }),
    react(),
  ],
});

How the plugin works:

1. When running vite dev or vite build, the plugin checks if the envKey (default: DATABASE_URL) exists in your environment (default: .env) file
2. If the environment variable exists, the plugin takes no action
3. If the environment variable is missing, the plugin:
   • Automatically creates a new Neon claimable database
   • Adds two connection strings to your environment file:
     • DATABASE_URL - Standard connection string
     • DATABASE_URL_POOLER - Connection pooler string
   • Includes the claimable URL as a comment in the environment file

Default configuration

The service uses the following default settings:

Claiming a database

To persist a database beyond the 72-hour expiration period:

1. Access the claim URL provided during database creation
2. Sign in to an existing Neon account or create a new one
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the claim process

The claim URL is available:

• On the Neon Launchpad interface where the connection string was displayed
• As a comment in environment files (e.g., .env) when using the CLI

Use cases

Neon Launchpad is designed for scenarios requiring rapid database provisioning:

• Development and testing environments
• Evaluation of Neon's capabilities before committing to an account
• AI agent integration without authentication overhead
• Quick prototyping sessions

Note that provisioned databases expire after 72 hours unless claimed as described in the previous section.