Data

Database

The organized store where your app keeps data that has to survive.

A database is where you put anything that must still exist after the request ends or the server restarts — users, orders, messages, settings. Think of it as a giant, queryable spreadsheet with strict rules and the ability to answer questions fast, like 'give me every unpaid order from last week.' The default choice in 2026 is a relational (SQL) database like PostgreSQL; reach for something else only when you have a specific reason. When you build with AI, be explicit that data belongs in a database and not in a local file or in memory — otherwise the model may 'store' things in a variable that vanishes on redeploy.