# Vitess / TiDB

MySQL you scale yourself. Vitess is Apache-2.0 sharding; TiDB is Apache-2.0 distributed SQL — PlanetScale without the serverless seat.

**Replaces:** PlanetScale

**Tier:** Medium

## Problem

PlanetScale is hosted MySQL with branching, built on Vitess. You wanted the clustering layer on hardware you control. Vitess is Apache-2.0 (vitessio/vitess). TiDB is Apache-2.0 (pingcap/tidb) if you want MySQL-compatible distributed SQL instead of a Vitess cell. This is not PlanetScale's branching workflow, Boost, or every serverless SKU. Postgres stays on /replace/neon.

## Stack

- [Vitess](https://vitess.io) — Apache-2.0 MySQL clustering and sharding
- [TiDB](https://www.tidb.io/) — Apache-2.0 MySQL-compatible distributed SQL if you want that lineage

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---:|---|
| PlanetScale (small team) | $1,200 | Vitess or TiDB |

**About $1,200 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

Placeholder: Vitess is several components (vtgate, vtctld, MySQL tablets). TiDB is a cluster. A single Railway service is often the wrong size — a VM or Kubernetes is the honest path. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. Postgres stays on /stacks/cloudnativepg-postgres.

[Start on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/vitess-mysql?from=%2Fstacks%2Fvitess-mysql.md)

[CloudNativePG / PostgreSQL if this is Postgres, not MySQL](https://c17.io/stacks/cloudnativepg-postgres)

## AGENT_PROMPT

```
Replace PlanetScale with Vitess (preferred if you already think in MySQL shards) or TiDB (distributed SQL).

- Vitess: follow the official Kubernetes or local example. TiDB: TiDB + PD + TiKV as the project docs require.
- Import one schema. Do not claim PlanetScale branching. Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.
- Postgres stays on /stacks/cloudnativepg-postgres.
```

## FAQ

### Vitess or TiDB?

Vitess if you want sharded MySQL (the PlanetScale lineage). TiDB if you want distributed SQL that speaks MySQL. Pick one cluster.

### Is this PlanetScale branching?

No. Branching is the hosted product. This page is the clustering layer you run.

### Why not Neon?

Neon is Postgres (/replace/neon). PlanetScale is MySQL. Different engine.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/vitess-mysql