AlloyDB Express (Preview)

A lightweight Google Cloud database for developers and AI coding agents that starts in under two seconds and costs nothing for compute while idle.

Creates a PostgreSQL database in under two seconds from the command line, the API, an agent connection, Terraform, or the Console
Pauses after 15 minutes of inactivity and wakes automatically within seconds when a new query arrives
Includes vector search and direct access to Gemini from inside database queries
Admins set access and network rules centrally, and each database a developer or agent creates inherits them
An existing database can be upgraded to full AlloyDB in one click while keeping its data and connection details
Priced at $0.115 per compute unit-hour while active, $0.30 per GB-month for storage, and a free tier of 50 compute units per month

Giving prototypes and agent-built apps somewhere to store data without setting up full database infrastructure.

Useful at the testing stage, when an app needs a working database but may sit unused for long stretches.

Developers on Google Cloud, plus marketers building internal tools with coding agents who need a data store an admin can still govern.

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