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This guide shows you how to connect to your Replit App’s database from your code using the connection methods:
  • Direct connection: Connection for development and lighter workloads
  • Connection pooling: Efficient connection management for high-traffic production applications
To determine which type of connection you need, see Choosing your driver and connection type in the Neon documentation.
Use Agent or Assistant to generate code that connects to your existing database.

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Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have the following:
  • Created a database in your Replit App
  • Knowledge of coding and database connection management

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Create a connection script

This tutorial does not provide examples for all programming languages. Use PostgresSQL driver documentation for your project’s programming language or ask Assistant to translate the code examples.
1

Create a directory for your connection script

Create a directory at the top level of your project called scripts.
2

Create a connection script

Create a file in this directory and paste one of the following connection examples.
const { Client } = require('pg')

async function queryDatabase() {
  const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL
  const client = new Client({ connectionString: databaseUrl })

  try {
    await client.connect()
    const result = await client.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true')
    return result.rows
  } finally {
    await client.end()
  }
}

queryDatabase()
  .then(rows => console.log(rows))
  .catch(err => console.error(err))

const { Pool } = require('pg')

async function queryDatabasePool() {
  const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL
  // changes the URL to use the Neon's connection pooler
  const poolUrl = databaseUrl.replace('.us-east-2', '-pooler.us-east-2')
  const pool = new Pool({
    connectionString: poolUrl,
    max: 10
  })

  try {
    const client = await pool.connect()
    try {
      const result = await client.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true')
      return result.rows
    } finally {
      client.release()
    }
  } finally {
    await pool.end()
  }
}

queryDatabasePool()
  .then(rows => console.log(rows))
  .catch(err => console.error(err))

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Create a workflow to run your script

Your workflow may vary depending on the language you chose and the file path of the script you created.
1

Add a new workflow

Navigate to the Workflows tool and select New Workflow to add a workflow. In the Workflow field, enter “test connection” as the name.
2

Create a command to run the script

Select Execute Shell Command under the Tasks heading. Add a command to run the script you created in the line below it.The following screenshot shows the “test connection” workflow configured to run a JavaScript connection example:
screenshot of an example workflow
3

Run the workflow

Select the arrow to the left of the workflow name to run it.
4

View the output

Navigate to the Console tool, where you should see a data from your users table, if any exists.

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Share a database across multiple Replit Apps

If you need multiple Replit Apps to share a single database, you can expose it as a REST API. This approach allows other applications or services to securely access and manipulate database data through standardized HTTP requests. See the tutorial on sharing a database across multiple apps for a complete guide on setting up a secure database API service using the Database API Example template.

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Next steps

To learn more about working with databases in Replit, see the following resources:
  • Database: learn how to create and manage a SQL database using the Replit Database tool.
  • Workflows: learn how to create and run custom workflows.