Quick Answer: Use Self-Host for private databases (VPC, on-premises). Use Cloud for public cloud databases (Neon, Supabase, RDS with public IP).

Key Differences

Choose Self-Host For

  • Private databases without public internet access
  • VPC environments (AWS VPC, Google VPC, etc.)
  • On-premises corporate databases
  • Compliance requirements (data sovereignty, security policies)
  • Custom configurations (external PostgreSQL, custom domains)

Choose Cloud For

  • Cloud databases with public connectivity:
    • Neon, Supabase
    • AWS RDS with public IP
    • Google CloudSQL with public IP
    • Azure Database with public access
  • Quick evaluation without infrastructure setup
  • Small teams wanting zero maintenance

How to Deploy

Not sure? Start with Cloud for testing, then migrate to Self-Host if you need private database access.