pgvector is a PostgreSQL extension, not a standalone vector database. It adds exact and approximate vector search to the same data model, transactions, and operations stack, while leaving index tuning and horizontal scaling as PostgreSQL concerns.
Neon is serverless PostgreSQL; Turso Cloud currently follows the libSQL and SQLite-compatible path. Their compatibility boundaries are fundamentally different.
Nhost uses PostgreSQL as the source of truth, Hasura to generate GraphQL, and connects Auth claims, role permissions, Storage, and Functions into one platform.
Supabase isn't just an open-source Firebase alternative — its core design builds Auth, Storage, and Realtime entirely on PostgreSQL schemas and WAL. The result: everything is queryable with SQL, pgvector works out of the box, and AI agents can operate the entire platform by writing SQL. 108k GitHub stars, Apache 2.0, free tier with 500 MB database.
Most teams don't need five databases. PostgreSQL's extension ecosystem covers caching, queues, full-text search, and vector search — but the real decision isn't 'can it do it' but 'where does ops cost cross performance needs.'
Prisma's schema-first design gives you versioned migrations, full TypeScript types on every query, and intuitive relation handling. The tradeoff is a learning curve and the inherent limits of any ORM abstraction — but for most TypeScript projects, it's a worthwhile deal.
Upgraded action-maker from hardcoded mock data to live Cloudflare Workers AI generation. The architecture splits into Worker (AI only), Server (data storage), and Frontend (orchestration). Hit two gotchas along the way: Qwen3's thinking block and the Workers AI response format.
Next.js + Expo frontend, Node.js + Python dual backend, PostgreSQL + Redis core — plus a social notification system and LLM recommendation engine. Here's how DaoDao builds a learning community platform with a modern tech stack.