Databases Overview

Written By Team dFlow

Last updated About 1 month ago

dFlow lets you deploy and manage production-ready databases with the same simplicity as your applications. You can run them on your own servers, cloud instances, or any infrastructure connected to dFlow.

Whether you're spinning up a single PostgreSQL instance or managing a fleet of Redis clusters, dFlow ensures everything is secure, observable, and easy to scale.

dFlow supports one-click deployment for the most popular databases:

  • PostgreSQL

  • MySQL

  • MariaDB

  • MongoDB

  • Redis

  • ClickHouse

If your preferred database isn’t listed, you can still deploy it using Custom Services any Docker-based database works on dFlow.

Deploying a Database

You can deploy a database directly from your project:

Dashboard → Project → Add Service → Select Database → Deploy

After selecting the database type, dFlow automatically:

  • provisions the container

  • configures volumes for data persistence

  • sets secure default credentials

  • attaches networking

  • sets up monitoring and logs

All settings can be customized before or after deployment.

Port Mapping vs Public Port

dFlow provides two ways to expose database ports.

Port Mapping (Host ↔ Container)

Port mapping uses Docker’s native port binding.

Example:
8080:5432 means:

  • container’s port 5432 → host’s port 8080

Use this when you need:

  • private/internal database access

  • maximum performance

  • local-only access

Public Port (Internet-Accessible)

A public port exposes your database through dFlow’s secure TCP proxy.

This provides:

  • flexible port changes without restarting the database

  • automatic proxy reloads

  • a public hostname + public port

Use this when:

  • CI/CD pipelines need access

  • remote applications connect to your DB

  • you want dynamic port configuration

Which Should You Choose?

Use Case

Recommended Option

Internal/private access only

Port Mapping

Need to change port without restart

Public Port

External/internet access required

Public Port

Maximum performance (no proxy)

Port Mapping