Django Guide Best Databases for Django (2026)
Compare the best database solutions for Django. We review PostgreSQL, MySQL, managed databases like Supabase and PlanetScale, with Django ORM compatibility.
Django's ORM works with multiple databases, but PostgreSQL is the gold standard. We've evaluated the top database options from managed cloud services to self-hosted solutions.
Why This Matters
Your database choice affects performance, scalability, and developer experience. Django's ORM provides great abstraction, but you need to choose the right backend. PostgreSQL offers the best Django compatibility with features like JSONField, ArrayField, and full-text search.
Key Considerations
Django ORM Compatibility
Django officially supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and SQLite. PostgreSQL gets the most features and best support.
Managed vs Self-Hosted
Managed databases handle backups, scaling, and maintenance. Self-hosted gives you more control and can be cheaper at scale.
Connection Pooling
Django doesn't pool connections by default. For production, you'll need PgBouncer or a managed service with built-in pooling.
Scaling Strategy
Read replicas, connection limits, and serverless scaling options matter as your app grows.
Cost Structure
Some services charge by compute time, others by storage. Understand your access patterns to choose wisely.
Our Recommendations
Supabase
Best Overall Excellent Support Official SDKSupabase provides managed PostgreSQL with a generous free tier. Django works directly with it via psycopg2. Built-in connection pooling, automatic backups, and a great dashboard. 500MB free storage.
pip install psycopg2-binary 
Neon
Best Serverless Excellent Support Official SDKNeon's serverless PostgreSQL with branching is perfect for development workflows. Scales to zero when idle, saving costs. Excellent for Django projects with variable traffic.
pip install psycopg2-binary 
PlanetScale
Best MySQL Good Support Official SDKIf you prefer MySQL, PlanetScale offers excellent scaling with branching workflows. Note: Django works with MySQL but some PostgreSQL-specific features won't be available.
pip install mysqlclient 
Railway
Best Simple Hosting Excellent Support Official SDKRailway provides PostgreSQL alongside app hosting. Great for deploying Django + database together. Simple pricing, good free tier.
railway add postgresql 
PostgreSQL
Best Self-Hosted Excellent Support Official SDKSelf-hosted PostgreSQL gives you complete control. Use with Django's database settings. Requires ops knowledge but can be very cost-effective at scale.
pip install psycopg2-binary Quick Comparison
| Service | TypeScript | Edge | Free Tier | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | none | ✓ | 500MB | 5 min |
| Neon | none | ✓ | 512MB | 5 min |
| PlanetScale | none | ✓ | 5GB | 10 min |
| Railway | none | ✓ | $5 credit | 5 min |
| PostgreSQL | none | — | N/A | 30 min |
Quick Start
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
'NAME': 'postgres',
'USER': 'postgres',
'PASSWORD': env('SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD'),
'HOST': 'db.YOUR_PROJECT.supabase.co',
'PORT': '5432',
}
}Common Integration Patterns
Supabase + Django + Auth
Use Supabase PostgreSQL for your Django models and Supabase Auth for authentication.
Neon + Django + Redis
Serverless PostgreSQL with Neon, Redis for caching and Celery task queue.
Railway Full Stack
Deploy Django, PostgreSQL, and Redis together on Railway for simple full-stack hosting.