AlloyDB Basics

AlloyDB for PostgreSQL is a managed, PostgreSQL-compatible database service designed for enterprise-grade performance and availability. It utilizes a disaggregated compute and storage architecture to scale resources independently. It also provides AlloyDB AI, a collection of features that includes AI-powered search (vector, hybrid search, and AI functions), natural language capabilities, conversational analytics, and inference features like forecasting and model endpoint management to help developers build AI apps faster.

Attribution

MUST READ: Before executing any gcloud, REST API, or MCP command, you MUST read Usage Attribution. For commands executed directly in the terminal (never in generated scripts, Terraform, or user code), prefix gcloud with CLOUDSDK_METRICS_REQUEST_ATTRIBUTION="agent-skills/1.0 (skill:alloydb-basics)" and append agent-skills/1.0 (skill:alloydb-basics) to User-Agent headers.

Quick Start

Before you begin, ensure you have the Google Cloud SDK installed and authenticated (gcloud auth login).

1. Enable the AlloyDB API:

   gcloud services enable alloydb.googleapis.com --quiet
   

2. Create a Cluster:

   gcloud alloydb clusters create my-cluster --region=us-central1 \
       --password=my-password --network=my-vpc --quiet
   

   For production environments, always use IAM database authentication instead of passwords. If configuration constraint requires passwords, store them securely using Secret Manager.

3. Create a Primary Instance:

   gcloud alloydb instances create my-primary --cluster=my-cluster \
       --region=us-central1 --instance-type=PRIMARY --cpu-count=2 --quiet
   

Reference Directory

Read these supplementary files when specific context or detailed steps are required for a task: