databricks-lakebase

name: databricks-lakebase description: "Databricks Lakebase Postgres: projects, scaling, connectivity, Lakebase synced tables, and Data API. Use when asked about Lakebase databases, OLTP storage, or connecting apps to Postgres on Databricks." compatibility: Requires databricks CLI (>= v0.294.0) metadata: version: "0.1.0" parent: databricks-core

Lakebase Postgres Autoscaling

FIRST: Use the parent databricks-core skill for CLI basics, authentication, and profile selection.

Lakebase is Databricks' serverless Postgres-compatible database, available on both AWS and Azure (GA). It provides fully managed OLTP storage with autoscaling, branching, and scale-to-zero.

Autoscaling by Default (March 2026): All new Lakebase instances are Autoscaling projects. The /database/ APIs now create autoscaling instances behind the scenes. Existing provisioned instances are unchanged.

Compliance: Supports HIPAA, C5, TISAX, or None.

Capabilities

• Project lifecycle -- create, update, delete Lakebase Postgres Autoscaling projects
• Branching -- copy-on-write branches with TTL, point-in-time recovery, and reset
• Compute scaling -- autoscale 0.5--32 CU, fixed 36--112 CU, scale-to-zero
• High availability -- 1 primary + 1--3 secondaries, automatic failover
• PostgreSQL connectivity -- OAuth token refresh, connection pooling, SSL
• Data API -- PostgREST-compatible HTTP CRUD (Autoscaling only)
• Lakebase synced tables -- sync Unity Catalog Delta tables into Postgres (previously known as Reverse ETL)
• Databricks App integration -- scaffold apps with Lakebase feature, deploy-first workflow
• Cloud support -- AWS and Azure (GA)

Reference docs:

• computes-and-scaling.md — Sizing, endpoint management, scale-to-zero, HA
• connectivity.md — Connection patterns, token refresh, Data API
• synced-tables.md — Lakebase synced tables, data type mapping, capacity planning
• lakehouse-sync.md — CDC from Lakebase Postgres to Unity Catalog Delta tables (UI-only — cannot be configured via CLI or API)
• pgvector.md — Vector similarity search with pgvector extension
• off-platform.md — Off-platform Lakebase (NOT Databricks Apps): external Node.js apps connecting via @databricks/lakebase, env management, token refresh, Drizzle ORM

Resource Hierarchy

Project (top-level container)
  └── Branch (isolated database environment, copy-on-write)
        ├── Endpoint (read-write or read-only)
        ├── Database (standard Postgres DB)
        └── Role (Postgres role)

• Project: Top-level container. Creating one auto-provisions a production branch and a primary read-write endpoint.
• Branch: Isolated database environment sharing storage with parent (copy-on-write). States: READY, ARCHIVED.
• Endpoint (called Compute in UI): Compute resource powering a branch. Types: ENDPOINT_TYPE_READ_WRITE, ENDPOINT_TYPE_READ_ONLY.
• Database: Standard Postgres database within a branch. Default: databricks_postgres.
• Role: Postgres role within a branch.

Resource Name Formats

All IDs: 1-63 characters, start with lowercase letter, lowercase letters/numbers/hyphens only (RFC 1123).

CLI Discovery -- ALWAYS Do This First

Note: "Lakebase" is the product name; the CLI command group is postgres. All commands use databricks postgres ....

Do NOT guess command syntax. Discover available commands dynamically:

databricks postgres -h                    # List all subcommands
databricks postgres <subcommand> -h       # Flags, args, JSON fields

Create a Project

First decide: reuse or create. When building or attaching to an app, ask the user whether to reuse an existing project/branch/database — list them with databricks postgres list-projects (then list-branches / list-databases), let the user pick, and confirm which schema the app will own — or create a new project. Only skip listing and create directly when the user explicitly asked for a brand-new project.

databricks postgres create-project <PROJECT_ID> \
  --json '{"spec": {"display_name": "<DISPLAY_NAME>"}}' \
  --profile <PROFILE>

Auto-creates: production branch + primary read-write endpoint (1 CU min/max, scale-to-zero). Long-running operation; CLI waits by default. Use --no-wait to return immediately.

After creation, verify:

databricks postgres list-branches projects/<PROJECT_ID> --profile <PROFILE>
databricks postgres list-endpoints projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID> --profile <PROFILE>
databricks postgres list-databases projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

Extract connection values from JSON output:

Updating a Project

databricks postgres update-project projects/<PROJECT_ID> spec.display_name \
  --json '{"spec": {"display_name": "My Updated Application"}}' \
  --profile <PROFILE>

Deleting a Project

WARNING: Permanent -- deletes all branches, computes, databases, roles, and data. Do not delete without explicit user permission.

databricks postgres delete-project projects/<PROJECT_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

Autoscaling

Endpoints use compute units (CU) (~2 GB RAM per CU). Range: 0.5--32 CU (dynamic), 36--112 CU (fixed). Scale-to-zero enabled by default (5 min timeout).

See computes-and-scaling.md for sizing tables, endpoint CRUD, and configuration details.

Branches

Branches are copy-on-write snapshots. Use for testing schema migrations, trying queries, or previewing data changes without affecting production.

databricks postgres create-branch projects/<PROJECT_ID> <BRANCH_ID> \
  --json '{"spec": {"source_branch": "projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<SOURCE>", "no_expiry": true}}' \
  --profile <PROFILE>

Branches require an expiration policy: "no_expiry": true for permanent, or "ttl": "<seconds>s" (max 30 days).

Limits: 10 unarchived branches per project. 8 TB logical data per branch. 1,000 projects per workspace.

Point-in-time branching: Create from a past state (within restore window) for recovery. Run databricks postgres create-branch -h for time specification fields.

Reset: Replaces branch data with latest from parent. Local changes are lost. Root branches and branches with children cannot be reset.

databricks postgres reset-branch projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

Delete: Protected branches must be unprotected first (update-branch to set spec.is_protected to false). Cannot delete branches with children. Never delete the production branch.

Key Differences from Lakebase Provisioned

All new instances default to Autoscaling as of March 2026. Automatic migration of Provisioned instances begins June 2026.

Migration: Manual via pg_dump/pg_restore (requires pausing writes). Automatic seamless upgrades (seconds of downtime) begin June 2026 -- no customer action required.

What's Next

Build a Databricks App

After creating a project, scaffold a connected Databricks App:

# 1. Get branch name
databricks postgres list-branches projects/<PROJECT_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

# 2. Get database name
databricks postgres list-databases projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

# 3. Scaffold with lakebase feature
databricks apps init --name <APP_NAME> --features lakebase \
  --set "lakebase.postgres.branch=<BRANCH_NAME>" \
  --set "lakebase.postgres.database=<DATABASE_NAME>" \
  --run none --profile <PROFILE>

For the full app workflow, use the databricks-apps skill.

Attach Lakebase to an existing app

apps init --features lakebase (above) wires the database at scaffold time. To attach a project to an existing app, update its resources.

Use the postgres resource key for an Autoscaling project — its fields are branch + database (full resource paths from the table above). The legacy database key (instance_name + database_name) is for Provisioned instances only; using it for an Autoscaling project fails with Database instance <name> does not exist. Get the exact paths from list-branches / list-databases (the DB name is often hyphenated, e.g. databricks-postgres).

Update the app's resources with databricks apps create-update — the method to use for any app (the older databricks apps update is legacy and can't change resources for an app in a space). update_mask=resources replaces the whole resources array, so read the app's current resources and merge the new one in (or you'll detach the rest). Pass everything in --json; only APP_NAME is positional:

databricks apps create-update <APP_NAME> --json @update.json --profile <PROFILE>   # waits for completion; --no-wait to return early

{
  "update_mask": "resources",
  "app": {
    "resources": [
      {
        "name": "postgres",
        "postgres": {
          "branch": "projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>",
          "database": "projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>/databases/<DATABASE_ID>",
          "permission": "CAN_CONNECT_AND_CREATE"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Confirm the branch/database with the user — don't default to production silently. The app's service principal must be able to create and own the schema(s) it uses there, so avoid a branch/database where those schema names are already owned by a user (the SP will hit permission denied … 42501) — a fresh/dedicated branch, or a new app-owned schema, is cleanest. See Schema Permissions for Deployed Apps below for the full ownership model.

Schema Permissions for Deployed Apps

The app's Service Principal has CAN_CONNECT_AND_CREATE -- it can create new objects but cannot access existing schemas. The SP must create the schema to become its owner.

ALWAYS deploy the app before running it locally. This is the #1 source of Lakebase permission errors.

Correct workflow:

1. Deploy first: databricks apps deploy <APP_NAME> --profile <PROFILE>
2. Grant local access (if needed): assign databricks_superuser via UI (project creators already have access)
3. Develop locally: your credentials get DML access to SP-owned schemas

If you already ran locally first and hit permission denied: the schema is owned by your credentials, not the SP. Do NOT drop the schema without asking the user -- dropping it deletes all data.

Ask the user to choose:

• (A) Drop and redeploy: databricks psql --project <PROJECT_ID> -- -c "DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS <SCHEMA_NAME> CASCADE;", then databricks apps deploy from the app directory. The SP recreates the schema on startup.
• (B) Export first, then drop and redeploy: export via pg_dump (use connection details from databricks postgres get-endpoint; see Other Workflows below for HOST and TOKEN) or copy tables to a temp schema using databricks psql --project <PROJECT_ID>, then do option A. After the SP recreates the schema on redeploy, restore with pg_restore or re-INSERT from the temp schema.

Other Workflows

# Connect a Postgres client -- get connection string
databricks postgres get-endpoint projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>/endpoints/<ENDPOINT_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

# Manage roles
databricks postgres create-role -h

# Add a read replica
databricks postgres create-endpoint projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID> <ENDPOINT_ID> \
  --json '{"spec": {"type": "ENDPOINT_TYPE_READ_ONLY"}}' --profile <PROFILE>

Run SQL against Lakebase (GRANT, CREATE INDEX, etc.):

# 1. Get endpoint host
databricks postgres get-endpoint projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>/endpoints/<ENDPOINT_ID> --profile <PROFILE>

# 2. Generate OAuth token
databricks postgres generate-database-credential \
  projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>/endpoints/<ENDPOINT_ID> \
  --profile <PROFILE>

# 3. Connect (use token from step 2 as password, host from step 1)
PGPASSWORD='<TOKEN>' psql "host=<HOST> user=<USERNAME> dbname=databricks_postgres sslmode=require"

Note: generate-database-credential requires the endpoint resource path (.../endpoints/<ENDPOINT_ID>), not a database or branch path.

Scriptable version (single copy-paste, useful for agents):

EP=projects/<PROJECT_ID>/branches/<BRANCH_ID>/endpoints/<ENDPOINT_ID>
# get-endpoint JSON shape: {"status": {"hosts": {"host": "<HOSTNAME>"}, ...}, ...}
HOST=$(databricks postgres get-endpoint $EP --profile <PROFILE> -o json \
  | python3 -c "import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['status']['hosts']['host'])")
TOKEN=$(databricks postgres generate-database-credential $EP --profile <PROFILE> -o json \
  | python3 -c "import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['token'])")
PGPASSWORD="$TOKEN" psql "host=$HOST user=<USERNAME> dbname=databricks_postgres sslmode=require"

Grant app SP access to synced tables (run as project owner after sync is ONLINE and app is deployed):

GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA public TO "<SP_CLIENT_ID>";
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO "<SP_CLIENT_ID>";
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES IN SCHEMA public GRANT SELECT ON TABLES TO "<SP_CLIENT_ID>";

For least-privilege, consider syncing into a dedicated schema instead of public so the grant is scoped to synced data only.

Get SP client ID: databricks apps get <APP_NAME> --profile <PROFILE> → service_principal_client_id field.

Data API: PostgREST-compatible HTTP CRUD on Postgres tables. See connectivity.md. Synced Tables: Sync Delta tables into Lakebase. See synced-tables.md.

PostgreSQL Extensions

Lakebase supports PostgreSQL extensions (e.g., pgvector for vector embeddings, pg_stat_statements for query statistics). See the full list of supported extensions.

-- List available extensions
SELECT * FROM pg_available_extensions ORDER BY name;

-- Install an extension
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS <extension_name>;

For vector embeddings with pgvector, see pgvector.md.

Troubleshooting

SDK and Version Requirements