> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rivestack.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Create your first managed PostgreSQL cluster on Rivestack

## Overview

Rivestack is a managed PostgreSQL service that gives you production-ready databases in minutes. Start on the **free shared tier**, move to a **dedicated Solo VM** when you go to production, and step up to an **HA cluster** when you need automatic failover.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Free" icon="cube">
    Shared PostgreSQL for development and testing. 2 GB storage, up to 5 connections. No credit card required.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Solo" icon="server">
    Your own dedicated VM with daily backups, point-in-time recovery, and monitoring. \$15/month — never deleted.
  </Card>

  <Card title="HA Cluster" icon="shield-halved">
    Dedicated infrastructure with automatic failover, backups, and monitoring. Starting at \$35/node/month.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>Already have a free database? You can [upgrade it to Solo](/pricing#upgrading-from-free) in one click — we migrate your data across automatically.</Tip>

## Create your first cluster

### Step 1: Sign up

Create your Rivestack account at [app.rivestack.io](https://app.rivestack.io). You can sign up with email or your existing GitHub or Google account.

### Step 2: Create a database

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Free Tier">
    1. From the dashboard, click **Create Database**.
    2. Enter a **database name** (or use the auto-generated suggestion).
    3. Select **Free** as the plan.
    4. Choose your **region** (EU, US, or Singapore).
    5. Click **Create**.

    Your database is ready immediately. You'll see it on your dashboard with connection details.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Solo">
    1. From the dashboard, click **Create Database** (or **Upgrade** on an existing free database).
    2. Enter a **name**.
    3. Select **Solo** as the plan.
    4. Choose your **region** (EU, US, or Singapore). Pricing varies by region — EU is cheapest. See [Pricing](/pricing#per-region-pricing).
    5. Review the cost (from \$15/month) and complete checkout.

    Your dedicated VM provisions in \~3 minutes. If you upgraded a free database, we migrate its data across automatically — the free database stays online until you delete it.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="HA Cluster">
    1. From the dashboard, click **Create Database**.
    2. Enter a **cluster name**.
    3. Select **HA Cluster** as the plan.
    4. Choose your **region**:

       * EU Central (Falkenstein, Germany)
       * US East (Virginia)

       <Note>HA clusters are available in EU Central and US East only. Singapore (Asia Pacific) offers the Solo plan only.</Note>
    5. Select a **server type** (prices shown are EU Central, the cheapest region — see [Per-region pricing](/pricing#per-region-pricing)):

       | Type    | vCPUs | RAM   | Storage | Price (EU Central) |
       | ------- | ----- | ----- | ------- | ------------------ |
       | Starter | 2     | 4 GB  | 55 GB   | \$35/node/mo       |
       | Growth  | 4     | 8 GB  | 135 GB  | \$59/node/mo       |
       | Scale   | 8     | 16 GB | 295 GB  | \$99/node/mo       |

       Storage listed is fully available for your PostgreSQL database. 20 GB is reserved for the OS on each node.
    6. Choose the **number of nodes** (1-3). We recommend 2 or more for high availability.
    7. Review your total monthly cost and click **Create**.
    8. Complete checkout via our payment provider.

    <Info>Provisioning typically takes 7-10 minutes. You can watch the progress in real time on the dashboard.</Info>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Step 3: Connect

Once your database is ready, navigate to the **Connection** tab to find your credentials:

* **Host** — Your unique endpoint (e.g., `rs-abc12345.eu-central.db.rivestack.io`)
* **Port** — `5432`
* **Database** — Your database name
* **Username** — Your database user
* **Password** — Generated on creation (copy it from the dashboard)
* **SSL Mode** — `require` (always enforced)

Your connection string looks like this:

```
postgresql://username:password@rs-abc12345.eu-central.db.rivestack.io:5432/mydb?sslmode=require
```

<Card title="Connection Guide" icon="plug" href="/connection-guide">
  See detailed connection examples for Python, Node.js, Go, and more.
</Card>

## What's included

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="pgvector" icon="brain">
    pgvector is enabled by default on your initial database. For new databases, add it through the dashboard or Terraform.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Extensions" icon="puzzle-piece">
    Pre-installed extensions including uuid-ossp, pg\_stat\_statements, pgcrypto, and pg\_trgm. Add them to your database from the dashboard.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SSL Encryption" icon="lock">
    All connections are encrypted with TLS. No unencrypted connections are allowed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automated Backups" icon="clock-rotate-left">
    Solo and HA clusters include daily automated backups with point-in-time recovery.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connection Guide" icon="plug" href="/connection-guide">
    Connect from your application with Python, Node.js, or Go.
  </Card>

  <Card title="pgvector Setup" icon="brain" href="/pgvector">
    Store and query vector embeddings for AI applications.
  </Card>

  <Card title="High Availability" icon="shield-halved" href="/high-availability">
    Learn how automatic failover keeps your database online.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitoring" icon="chart-line" href="/monitoring">
    View metrics and health status for your clusters.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>