> This page location: Branching > Schema-only branches > Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt > IMPORTANT: If this page contains inaccurate or outdated information, report it: POST to https://neon.com/api/docs-feedback with {"feedback": "describe the issue", "path": "/docs/guides/branching-schema-only"} # Schema-only branches Protect sensitive data with schema-only branches **Note: Beta** This feature is in Beta. Please give us [Feedback](https://console.neon.tech/app/projects?modal=feedback) from the Neon Console or by connecting with us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/92vNTzKDGp). Neon supports creating schema-only branches, letting you create branches that replicate only the database schema from a source branch, without copying any of the actual data. This feature is ideal for working with confidential information. Instead of duplicating this sensitive data, you can now create a branch with just the database structure and populate it with randomized or anonymized data instead. This provides your team with a secure and compliant environment for developing and testing using Neon branches. ## Creating schema-only branches You can create schema-only branches in the Neon Console or using the Neon API, in much the same way you create any Neon branch. Support for the Neon CLI will come in a future release. Tab: Neon Console To create a schema-only branch from the Neon Console: 1. Select your project. 2. Select **Branches**. 3. Click **New branch** to open the branch creation dialog. ![Create branch dialog](https://neon.com/docs/guides/create_schema_only_branch.png) 4. Select a **Parent branch**. The schema from this branch will be copied to your new schema-only branch. By default, your project's default branch is selected, but you can choose any existing branch in your project. 5. Specify a branch name, or leave it blank to use the default generated name. 6. Select the **Schema only** option. 7. Configure auto-deletion: By default, **Automatically delete branch after** is checked with 1 day selected to help prevent unused branches from accumulating. You can choose 1 hour, 1 day, or 7 days, or uncheck to disable expiration entirely. This is useful for CI/CD pipelines and short-lived development environments. Note: This default only applies when creating branches through the Console; API and CLI branches have no expiration by default. Refer to our [Branch expiration guide](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branch-expiration) for details. 8. Click **Create** to create your schema-only branch. Tab: CLI To create a schema-only branch using the Neon CLI: ```bash neon branch create --schema-only ``` If you have more than one project, you'll need to specify the `--project-id` option. See [Neon CLI - branch create](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-branches#create). Tab: API **Note:** The API is in Beta and subject to change. To create a schema-only branch using the Neon API, use the [Create branch](https://api-docs.neon.tech/reference/createprojectbranch) endpoint with the `init_source` option set to `schema-only`, as shown below. Required values include: - Your Neon `project_id` - The `parent_id`, which is the branch ID of the branch containing the schema you want to copy ```bash curl --request POST \ --url https://console.neon.tech/api/v2/projects/wispy-salad-58347608/branches \ --header 'accept: application/json' \ --header 'authorization: Bearer $NEON_API_KEY' \ --header 'content-type: application/json' \ --data ' { "branch": { "parent_id": "br-super-mode-w371g4od", "name": "my_schema_only_branch", "init_source": "schema-only" } } ' ``` ## Schema-only branching example To try out schema-only branches: 1. Start by creating an `employees` table on your Neon project's `production` branch and adding some dummy data. You can do this from the [Neon SQL Editor](https://neon.com/docs/get-started/query-with-neon-sql-editor) or any SQL client by copying and pasting the following statements: ```sql CREATE TABLE employees ( employee_id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, first_name VARCHAR(50), last_name VARCHAR(50), email VARCHAR(100), phone_number VARCHAR(15), job_title VARCHAR(50), salary NUMERIC(10, 2), hire_date DATE ); INSERT INTO employees (first_name, last_name, email, phone_number, job_title, salary, hire_date) VALUES ('John', 'Doe', 'john.doe@example.com', '123-456-7890', 'Software Engineer', 95000.00, '2020-01-15'), ('Jane', 'Smith', 'jane.smith@example.com', '987-654-3210', 'Product Manager', 110000.00, '2019-03-22'), ('Alice', 'Johnson', 'alice.johnson@example.com', '555-123-4567', 'HR Specialist', 65000.00, '2021-06-10'), ('Bob', 'Brown', 'bob.brown@example.com', '555-987-6543', 'Data Analyst', 78000.00, '2018-09-05'), ('Charlie', 'Davis', 'charlie.davis@example.com', '444-555-6666', 'Marketing Manager', 95000.00, '2017-11-14'), ('Diana', 'Miller', 'diana.miller@example.com', '333-444-5555', 'Sales Representative', 72000.00, '2022-04-18'), ('Edward', 'Wilson', 'edward.wilson@example.com', '222-333-4444', 'DevOps Engineer', 98000.00, '2020-12-03'), ('Fiona', 'Clark', 'fiona.clark@example.com', '111-222-3333', 'UI/UX Designer', 85000.00, '2016-08-29'), ('George', 'Harris', 'george.harris@example.com', '999-888-7777', 'Financial Analyst', 90000.00, '2021-01-11'), ('Hannah', 'Martin', 'hannah.martin@example.com', '888-777-6666', 'Backend Developer', 92000.00, '2019-07-23'); ``` 2. Navigate to the **Tables** page in the Neon Console, and select your `production` branch from the bread-crumb menu at the top of the console. Your `employees` table will have both schema and data, as shown here: ![production branch with schema and data](https://neon.com/docs/guides/schema-data-branch.png) 3. Create a schema-only branch following the instructions above. See [Creating schema-only branches](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branching-schema-only#creating-schema-only-branches). In this example, we've named the branch `employees_schema_only`. ![schema-only branch creation](https://neon.com/docs/guides/create_schema_only_branch.png) 4. On the **Tables** page, select your newly created `employees_schema_only` branch from the bread-crumb menu at the top of the console. You can see that the schema-only branch contains the schema, but no data. The same will be true for any table in any database on the schema-only branch; only the schema will be present. ![schema-only branch with only the schema](https://neon.com/docs/guides/schema-only-branch.png) ## Connect to a schema-only branch Connecting to a schema-only branch works the same way as connecting to any Neon branch. You'll connect via a compute associated with the branch. Follow these steps to connect using `psql` and a connection string obtained from the Neon Console. 1. In the Neon Console, select a project. 2. From the project **Dashboard**, click **Connect**, and select your schema-only branch, the database, and the role you want to connect with. ![Connection details modal](https://neon.com/docs/guides/schema_only_branch_connect.png) 3. Copy the connection string. A connection string includes your role name, the compute hostname, and the database name. ```bash postgresql://[user]:[password]@[neon_hostname]/[dbname] ``` ## What's different about schema-only branches? Unlike other branches, schema-only branches do not have a parent branch, as you can see below. Both the `production` branch of the project and the schema-only branch have no parent, indicated by the dash in the **Parent** column (`-`) on the **Branches** page in your Neon project. ![schema-only branch](https://neon.com/docs/guides/schema_only_no_parent.png) Schema-only branches are independent [root branches](https://neon.com/docs/reference/glossary#root-branch), just like the `production` branch in your Neon project. When you create a schema-only branch, you're creating a new **root branch**. ### Key points about schema-only branches - **No parent branch**: Schema-only branches are root branches. They do not have a parent branch. - **No shared history**: Data added to a schema-only branch is independent and adds to your storage. There is no shared history with a parent. - **Reset from parent is not supported**: With no parent branch, [reset from parent](https://neon.com/docs/manage/branches#reset-a-branch-from-parent) operations are not supported. - **Restore is supported, but...** performing a [restore](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branch-restore) operation on a schema-only branch copies both schema and data from the source branch. - **Branch protection is supported**: Like any other branch, you can enable [branch protection](https://neon.com/docs/guides/protected-branches) for schema-only branches. ## Schema-only branch allowances There are certain allowances associated with schema-only branches: - A schema-only branch is a [root branch](https://neon.com/docs/reference/glossary#root-branch), and only a certain number of root branches are permitted per Neon project, depending on your Neon plan. - The `main` root branch created with each Neon project counts toward the _root branch allowance per project_, as do certain [backup branches](https://neon.com/docs/reference/glossary#backup-branch) created by restore operations. - On the Free plan, all branches in a project share a total storage limit of 0.5 GB. Schema-only branches count toward this limit like any other branch. On paid plans, storage limits are higher, but each schema-only branch has a maximum storage allowance, as outlined in the following table. | Plan | Root branch allowance per project | Maximum storage allowance per schema-only branch | | :----- | :-------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------- | | Free | 3 | 0.5 GB | | Launch | 5 | 3 GB | | Scale | 25 | 5 GB | Once you use up your root branch allowance, you will not be able to create additional schema-only branches. You will be required to remove existing root branches first. --- ## Related docs (Branching) - [Get started with branching](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branching-intro) - [About branching](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching) - [Branching workflows](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branching-test-queries) - [Branch archiving](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branch-archiving) - [Branch expiration](https://neon.com/docs/guides/branch-expiration) - [Reset from parent](https://neon.com/docs/guides/reset-from-parent)