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What It Does

Your app needs a database. Monk detects that during code analysis, then provisions and configures it automatically — PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or any of 20+ supported databases. You pick the deployment model: self-hosted containers, cloud-managed services, or third-party providers. Monk handles provisioning, connection strings, and configuration.

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How It Works

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Automatic Database Detection

During code analysis, Monk figures out what your app needs:
  • Database type (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, etc.)
  • ORM or driver in use (Prisma, SQLAlchemy, Mongoose, etc.)
  • Connection string references in your code
  • Schema files and migrations
  • Required features (full-text search, JSON columns, etc.)
No upfront configuration required. Monk reads the code and acts on it.

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Deployment Options

Once Monk knows which database you need, you choose how to deploy it.

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Option 1: Self-Hosted in Containers

Best for: Development, staging, proof-of-concept
  • Runs in a container on your infrastructure
  • Monk handles setup, persistence, and configuration
  • Fast to spin up, easy to tear down
  • Full control over version and settings

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Option 2: Cloud Provider Managed Database

Best for: Production, simplified operations, automatic backups
  • Uses your cloud provider’s managed service (AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure Database, DigitalOcean Managed Database)
  • Automatic backups, updates, high availability
  • You provide cloud credentials, Monk provisions and configures

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Option 3: Third-Party Managed Database

Best for: Specialized features, global distribution, serverless scaling
  • Uses specialized providers (MongoDB Atlas, Redis Cloud, Neon, PlanetScale)
  • Often includes free tiers or serverless pricing
  • Advanced features like multi-region replication
Progression example (MongoDB):
  • Start with MongoDB Community (containerized) for development
  • Move to DigitalOcean Managed MongoDB for production simplicity
  • Scale to MongoDB Atlas for global distribution
Monk recommends the best option based on your stage, scale, and requirements. You decide.

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Supported Databases

Monk supports 20+ databases out of the box. Here are the highlights:
  • PostgreSQL — the go-to relational database
  • MySQL — widely supported, battle-tested
  • MongoDB — flexible document store
  • Redis — in-memory caching and data structures
  • Cassandra — distributed, high-availability NoSQL
  • TimescaleDB — time-series on top of PostgreSQL
  • Neo4j — graph database
  • Elasticsearch — full-text search and analytics
See Integrations for the full list of supported databases.

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Automatic Connection Management

Monk generates and manages connection strings automatically via Configuration & Wiring:
  • Connection string generation (postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db)
  • Credentials creation and secure storage
  • Network configuration for database access
  • Connection pooling settings
  • SSL/TLS encryption setup
Switch between deployment options without changing your code.
Data migration between databases isn’t automated yet. When switching from self-hosted to managed (or vice versa), Monk updates connection strings but doesn’t transfer data. You’ll need to migrate data manually (export/import).

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Database Credentials

When you use managed databases (MongoDB Atlas, Redis Cloud, cloud provider databases), Monk requests the necessary credentials automatically. Third-party services:
  • MongoDB Atlas, Redis Cloud, Neon — Monk asks for API keys when needed
Cloud-managed databases:
  • AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, etc. — uses your cloud provider credentials
How to obtain database credentials

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Database Configuration

Monk can tune database settings to match your requirements:
  • Memory allocation and caching
  • Connection pool sizes
  • Query timeouts
  • Storage size and IOPS
  • Replication settings
  • Performance tuning parameters
Tell Monk what you need in plain language. It understands database-specific parameters for every supported engine.

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Backups & Restore

Automated backup integration via chat is still in development. Some managed services already expose backup APIs that Monk can leverage — check individual integration docs for details.
Managed databases with backup API support:
  • MongoDB Atlas (M10+ dedicated clusters)
  • AWS RDS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle)
  • DigitalOcean Managed Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Valkey)
  • GCP Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
  • Azure Cosmos DB
  • Redis Cloud (Pro tier)
  • AWS DynamoDB
Self-hosted databases: For containerized databases, use manual backup procedures: volume snapshots, native tools (mongodump, pg_dump, mysqldump), or scheduled scripts.

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Roadmap

Data plane integration, custom management actions, and automated backups are on the roadmap. Vote on what to prioritize.

Integrations

Full list of supported databases, cloud providers, and third-party services.

Working with Databases

Prompting examples for common database operations.