Zale DB is serverless PostgreSQL: you create a project, it comes with a main branch, and every branch is a real Postgres you connect to with any standard driver. Compute scales down to zero when idle and wakes on connect.

1. Get an API key

Everything is driven by an API key that starts with zdb_. If your platform was just installed, the one-time bootstrap call creates the first organization and owner key:

curl -X POST $NDB_API/v1/bootstrap \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"bootstrap_token":"<from your operator>","email":"you@example.com","org_name":"Acme"}'

The returned api_key.token is shown exactly once — store it in a secret manager. On an existing platform, ask an org owner to create a key for you (see API keys & scopes).

2. Sign in to the console

Open the console and paste your zdb_ key on the Connect screen. The key is kept in an httpOnly cookie; Sign out clears it.

3. Create a project

In the console: New project → pick a name, region, and Postgres version. Or via the API:

curl -X POST $NDB_API/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NDB_KEY" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"org_id":"org_…","name":"my-app","region":"syd1","pg_version":17}'

Creation returns three things — the project, a seeded owner role (<name>_owner) with its password, and a database named after the project. The role password is shown exactly once; if you lose it, reset it (see Roles & databases), don't look for a way to re-fetch it — there isn't one.

4. Connect

Your project's detail page shows a connection string for the default pooled endpoint:

postgresql://my-app_owner:<password>@ep-….syd1.db.zaleit.com.au/my-app?sslmode=require

Use it with psql, Prisma, Drizzle, pg — anything that speaks Postgres. If the branch was suspended, the first connection wakes it automatically (see Scale to zero).

Where to go next

• Branches & data forks — instant copies of your database for previews and testing.
• Which endpoint do I use? — pooled vs direct vs read-only.
• Imports — move an existing database (Neon, Supabase, RDS, …) into Zale DB.