Create a Database

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      Create a database to store and access data in Couchbase Capella.

      This page walks you through the process of creating a Couchbase Capella database. If you want to learn how to modify an existing Capella database, see Modify a Database.

      To create and connect to a free 30-day Capella trial, see Create a Free Account and Deploy Your Database.

      Prerequisites

      Permissions Required
      You must have the Project Owner or Project Manager project role.
      • You need a project where you can create the database.

      • If you’re using a free trial, you cannot create more than one database and have limited configuration options.

      Procedure

      1. Click the Projects tab.

      2. Select the project where you want to create a database.

        To quickly find a project, type its name into the search box.
      3. Click Create Database

      4. Choose your preferred Cloud provider.

        Your choice of cloud provider affects the configuration options for your database, the geographic location of where you can deploy your database and its operation costs.

        For details on the cloud service providers supported by Capella, see:

      5. Select a Region and CIDR Block:

        You can deploy databases hosted by Couchbase to select regions in your chosen cloud provider.

        1. Using the Available Regions list, choose the region where you want to create this database. A list of supported regions is available for AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

        2. In the CIDR Block field, enter an IP range in CIDR notation. In most cases, you can accept the default CIDR block.

      6. Add a Name and Description:

        1. Capella autogenerates the database name, but you can change it using the Database Name field.

        2. In the Description field, you can enter a brief description of the database.

      7. Select a Couchbase Server Version.

        You can select Couchbase Server 7.2 or Couchbase Server 7.6 as the server version for your database.

      8. Configure the Service Groups:

        Using Service Groups, you can create custom configurations with granular control over sizing and service functionality.

        For more information about the node configuration options available for each cloud provider, see the Couchbase AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure reference pages.

        1. Select the Services.

          In Capella, you assign Couchbase Server services to Service Groups. Service Groups allow you to create node configurations for specified services. A new database has one Service Group with the Data, Index, Query, and Search services by default. Every database requires the Data Service.

          You can add or remove services to and from a Service Group by clicking the Service Group’s list and clicking the services you want to add or remove. You can add more Service Groups by clicking Add Service Group.

        2. Select the number of Nodes.

          Configure each Service Group with a node quantity. Individual Service Groups can have between 2 and 27 nodes but cannot collectively exceed 27 nodes in a database. The Service Group that includes the Data Service requires at least 3 nodes.

        3. Select the Compute.

          Provide each Service Group with a compute instance type. A selected compute option dictates the number of vCPUs and memory provisioned for each node in a Service Group. Compute options depend on the chosen cloud provider.

        4. Select the Disk Type.

          • AWS: Choose between GP3 or IO2.

          • GCP: PD-SSD only.

          • Azure: Choose between Premium SSD or Ultra.

        5. Select the Storage.

          In each Service Group, enter the amount of storage your database needs per node. Storage auto-expansion is a requirement for all databases deployed with AWS or GCP.

          • Azure: The amount of storage depends on the chosen disk type. For example, if you want the 256 GiB of storage, you could choose the P15 disk configuration. If you’re using the Ultra disk type, you can choose between fixed storage size options.

            Databases deploying with Azure have auto-expansion off by default with the option to turn it on. Auto-expansion for Azure requires replacing and rebalancing nodes, which results in data movement. Depending on the size of your data and available computing may affect performance until the process completes. For more information, see Azure Storage Scaling Limitations.

        6. Select the IOPS.

          Adjusting the IOPS rate affects performance and cost. When creating or modifying a database with AWS gp3, AWS io2, or Azure Ultra Disk and choosing a storage option, Capella uses recommended defaults for the IOPS field. You can replace the default IOPS value with one higher than the default but not lower. For the recommended IOPS values for databases using AWS gp3, AWS io2, or Azure Ultra Disk, see IOPS Defaults.

          • AWS: Enter the IOPS for each Service Group.

          • GCP: IOPS is not directly configurable. Instead, it’s based on the amount of storage you assigned to a Service Group: 30 read and 30 write IOPS per GB.

          • Azure: IOPS for the Premium SSD (P) disk type options are not configurable. Instead, it’s set based on the chosen Premium SSD disk size. You can set the IOPS for the Ultra disk type, but the possible range depends on the chosen storage size.

      9. Choose a Plan.

        All databases in an organization must be on a Service Plan. The Service Plan determines the level of support a database can receive and what features and services it can support. While you can upgrade or downgrade the chosen plan for a given database, using a feature specific to a plan may prevent a downgrade. If you’re using a free trial of Couchbase Capella, only the Basic Service Plan is available.

        For more information about Capella’s support levels, see the Capella Cloud Service Support Policy.

        If you choose the Developer Pro or Enterprise plan, you must set the Support Time Zone. When choosing this setting, consider factors such as when database administrators can work with Couchbase Support staff.

      10. Choose an Availability option.

        You can have all database nodes in the same Availability Zone or distribute them across multiple Availability Zones. In most cases, you can accept the default Multiple Availability Zones setting as it offers the highest availability.

      11. Review your Database’s configuration.

        With the new database configuration options now set, it’s ready to deploy. Use the Summary pane to review the chosen configuration option and its hourly cost to verify it meets your expectations.

        While you can change most database configuration options after deployment, there are some that you can’t. For a list of the configuration changes you can make to a deployed Capella database, see Modify a Database - Change Options.
      12. Deploy your database:

        1. Choose between the Credits and Pay-As-You-Go billing options.

        2. Click Create Database.

          Capella automatically creates the database in your chosen cloud provider and region. This process typically takes under five minutes, but it can take longer depending on factors like database size and cloud provider performance. When the database finishes deploying, it shows a Healthy status.