From MySQL on Docker to MicroDB.io

As a developer who spends a lot of time in the weeds, I’ve always struggled with one thing: Setting up a simple database!

If you want a database on a major cloud provider, you’re usually looking at a 15-minute setup involving VPC peering, subnets, and IAM roles. If you go with a “developer-friendly” managed service (e.g. Aiven, Linode, Akamai, etc) the price tag often jumps up before you’ve even hit your first 1,000 rows.

For a long time I was faithful to a simple local MySQL docker instance for all my projects until I wanted to share the project with a friend.

I needed a middle ground. So, I built microdb.io!

What is microdb.io?

It’s a platform designed to provide a fully functional MySQL or PostgreSQL database in seconds. No fluff, no complex networking—just a db connection string.

The “Secret Sauce”

While I built this to solve my own deployment headaches, I wanted to make sure it had the features that actually matter to a developer:

Global Reach: One of the biggest perks of how I’ve architected this is location flexibility. I can spin up databases in virtually any region across the world. Whether you need low latency for a project in Europe or data residency for a tool in Australia, it’s just a click away.

Security by Default: It supports complete encryption with certificates.

Built for Collaboration: It’s specifically tuned for personal projects and small teams. It’s the perfect “scratchpad” for a shared project where you just need everyone on the same page immediately.

A Note on “Production”

I want to be clear: microdb.io is currently (as of Feb 2026) for test and dev environments. It’s the perfect tool for MVPs, prototypes, IoT testing, and collaborative side-hustles and can carry you until you hit your first 50 customers in production but it is not yet ready for your “mission-critical, 99.99% uptime” production database.

I’m working on the production-grade, high availability setup, but for now, it’s a high-speed sandbox for builders.

Why I Made it Cheap

I’m a developer, and I know that side projects are often “labor of love” ventures. You shouldn’t have to pay a “complexity tax” just to see if an idea works. I made microdb.io cheap because that’s the tool I wanted to use myself.

Stop configuring. Start coding!

If you’re working on a new idea this weekend and don’t want to spend your Saturday morning in a cloud console, give microdb.io a try. I’d love your feedback. I even have free plans!