Neon Postgres: Free Claimable DB in Minutes — No Install

If you want a real Postgres database without installing anything locally, Neon gives you a very fast option:

• it is free to start
• it takes one command
• you do not need a Neon account to create it
• you get a working database URL immediately

This guide is written to be extremely easy to follow, even if you have never created a cloud database before.

What You Are Creating

You are creating a temporary Neon Postgres database through neon.new.

This is called a claimable database because:

• it works immediately after creation
• it is free
• it expires after 72 hours if you do nothing
• you can later "claim" it into your Neon account if you want to keep it

Neon says these databases are currently provisioned on:

• AWS us-east-2
• Postgres 17

When This Is Useful

This is a very good fit for:

• local development
• side projects
• hackathons
• prototypes
• demos
• temporary test environments

It is not meant to be your long-term production database unless you claim it and move into a normal Neon setup.

Before You Start

You only need:

• a terminal
• curl
• a place to paste your database URL, usually a .env file

If your app uses PostgreSQL, it likely expects a variable called:

DATABASE_URL=

Step 1: Create the Database

Run this command:

curl -X POST https://neon.new/api/v1/database \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ref":"your-app-name"}'

Replace your-app-name with something simple that identifies your project.

Examples:

curl -X POST https://neon.new/api/v1/database \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ref":"my-nextjs-app"}'

curl -X POST https://neon.new/api/v1/database \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ref":"portfolio-site"}'

Step 2: Look at the Response

Neon will return JSON that looks like this:

{
  "id": "01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678",
  "status": "UNCLAIMED",
  "neon_project_id": "cool-breeze-12345678",
  "connection_string": "postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxx@ep-cool-breeze-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require",
  "claim_url": "https://neon.new/claim/01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678",
  "expires_at": "2026-02-01T12:00:00.000Z",
  "created_at": "2026-01-29T12:00:00.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-01-29T12:00:00.000Z"
}

You do not need to understand every field.

The 3 fields that matter most are:

• connection_string
• claim_url
• expires_at

Here is what each one means:

• connection_string This is the main database URL you will paste into your app.
• claim_url Open this link later if you want to keep the database longer than 72 hours.
• expires_at This is the exact expiration time for the temporary database.

Step 3: Copy connection_string into Your .env File

In most apps, you should paste the returned connection_string into:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

Example:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require

If your project already has a .env file, open it and replace the old DATABASE_URL.

If your project does not have one yet, create a .env file and add:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require

Step 4: Restart Your App

If your development server is already running, stop it and start it again.

Why:

• many frameworks only read .env values at startup
• if you do not restart, your app may still use the old database URL

The Most Important Detail: Pooled vs Direct URL

The connection_string Neon returns is a pooled URL.

That is usually the correct one for:

• application queries
• local app development
• server runtimes
• most normal usage

You should generally use this for:

DATABASE_URL=...

What the pooled hostname looks like

A pooled Neon hostname contains:

-pooler

Example:

ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech

If You Need a Direct URL for Migrations

Some tools prefer a direct database connection for migrations.

To create a direct URL:

1. take the same connection_string
2. find the hostname
3. remove -pooler

Example

Pooled hostname:

ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech

Direct hostname:

ep-example.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech

Example full env setup

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
DATABASE_URL_DIRECT=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
PUBLIC_POSTGRES_CLAIM_URL=https://neon.new/claim/01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678

Use this as a simple rule:

• DATABASE_URL = pooled URL for the app
• DATABASE_URL_DIRECT = direct URL for migrations if your tooling wants it

The Easiest Setup Pattern

If you want the safest and simplest setup, use this template:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
DATABASE_URL_DIRECT=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
PUBLIC_POSTGRES_CLAIM_URL=https://neon.new/claim/01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678

If your app also requires a secret, keep that in the same file too.

Example:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
DATABASE_URL_DIRECT=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-example.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
PAYLOAD_SECRET=your-existing-secret
PUBLIC_POSTGRES_CLAIM_URL=https://neon.new/claim/01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678

CLI Option: Let Neon Write the .env File for You

If you want Neon to handle the env file for you, use the CLI:

npx neon-new --yes

According to the Neon docs, this writes values like these into .env:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-cool-breeze-a1b2c3d4-pooler.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
DATABASE_URL_DIRECT=postgresql://neondb_owner:npg_xxxxxxxxxxxx@ep-cool-breeze-a1b2c3d4.c-2.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/neondb?channel_binding=require&sslmode=require
# Claimable DB expires at: Sat, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT
# Claim it now to your account using the link below:
PUBLIC_POSTGRES_CLAIM_URL=https://neon.new/claim/01abc123-def4-5678-9abc-def012345678

This is the easiest option if:

• you are starting a brand-new project
• you want a quick setup
• you want fewer manual copy-paste steps

How to Claim the Database So It Does Not Expire

By default, the database expires after 72 hours.

If you want to keep it:

1. open the claim_url
2. sign in to Neon, or create an account
3. choose the Neon organization where the database should live
4. complete the transfer

After you claim it:

• the expiration is removed
• the database appears in your Neon console
• it becomes part of your normal Neon account setup

Important detail from Neon:

• after claiming, the API connection_string becomes null
• at that point, use the Neon console for ongoing connection details

Limits of the Free Unclaimed Database

According to the Neon docs, unclaimed databases currently have these limits:

If you claim the database, limits move to your Neon plan.

Common Questions

Do I need a Neon account to create the database?

No.

You can create the database immediately without an account.

Do I need to install Postgres locally?

No.

That is one of the biggest advantages of this workflow.

Is this a real Postgres database?

Yes.

Neon’s docs say claimable databases run on Postgres 17.

Should I use the pooled URL or the direct URL?

Use the pooled URL first unless you know you specifically need a direct connection for migrations or tooling.

What happens if I do nothing?

The database expires after 72 hours.

Can I keep the same database?

Yes, but you need to claim it through the claim_url.

Copy-Paste Checklist

If you want the shortest possible version, do this:

1. Run:

curl -X POST https://neon.new/api/v1/database \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ref":"your-app-name"}'

2. Copy connection_string
3. Paste it into:

DATABASE_URL=...

4. Optionally create DATABASE_URL_DIRECT by removing -pooler from the hostname
5. Save claim_url
6. Restart your app
7. Claim the database if you want to keep it past 72 hours

One-Sentence Version

If you want a free Postgres database right now, create one with neon.new, paste the returned connection_string into DATABASE_URL, and claim it later only if you want to keep it beyond 72 hours.

Official Links

• neon.new: https://neon.new/
• Claimable Postgres docs: https://neon.com/docs/reference/claimable-postgres
• Neon docs index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt