---
title: Deployment runtimes
description: Choose a backend runtime that supports your SQL driver and deploy
  static or edge-rendered clients against its HTTP endpoint.
group: self-host
lastModified: "2026-10-10T16:01:45+01:00"
---
## Choose a runtime for the database driver

The backend has a web-request handler, but that does not make every SQL driver
portable to every edge runtime. The built-in connection descriptions load these
drivers:

|Database configuration|Driver|Deployment requirement|
|--|--|--|
|`dialect: 'postgres'`|`@effect/sql-pg`|A runtime supporting that PostgreSQL driver's networking and dependencies.|
|`dialect: 'mysql'`|`@effect/sql-mysql2`|A runtime supporting the MySQL driver and its connections.|
|`dialect: 'sqlite'`|`@effect/sql-sqlite-node`|Node-compatible SQLite dependencies and a durable filesystem for retained data.|

The [Next.js backend mount](/docs/self-host/quickstart#nextjs-app-router) uses
`runtime: 'nodejs'`. A serverless instance's temporary filesystem is not durable
SQLite storage. Choose a networked database or a deployment with a persistent
volume and a supported driver.

## Run edge clients against a separate backend

Keep the consent backend on a supported server runtime and call it over HTTPS
from edge-rendered or static applications. [Inth](https://inth.com) provides the
managed version of this setup.

A cached manifest can provide policy configuration to server rendering without
running a database driver inside the frontend runtime. Consent writes still go
to the backend. Use an absolute public endpoint, configure the frontend's trusted
origins and preserve request-specific location and privacy signals.

## Bring an Effect SQL layer

`database` also accepts an Effect `SqlClient` layer. This is the extension point
for an application that already owns a supported SQL client or needs another
runtime-specific driver. The layer must supply the SQL dialect and behavior
required by the backend's queries and migrations. A raw database handle, Prisma
client, Cloudflare D1 binding or old v2 ORM adapter is not this interface.

The exported Cloudflare KV cache adapter only supplies caching. It does not add
D1 support or make the built-in Node SQL drivers work on Workers. Validate your
chosen client and runtime with migrations, receipt writes and reads before
using that deployment.

## Operate multiple instances

Run migrations as a deployment step against the same database and schema used by
the service. Reuse one backend instance within each process. Use shared GVL
caching when cold starts would otherwise repeat upstream fetches, and account
for database connection limits as the service scales.

See [database setup](/docs/self-host/guides/database-setup),
[caching](/docs/self-host/guides/caching) and
[request logging](/docs/self-host/guides/observability).