> Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt

# How do I enable or disable connection pooling for my Neon database?

Toggle pooled connections from the Connect widget, or append -pooler to the endpoint hostname in your connection string.

Open your project in the [Neon Console](https://console.neon.tech) and click **Connect** on the **Project Dashboard**. In the **Connect to your database** widget, toggle **Connection pooling** on or off. The displayed connection string switches between the pooled hostname (with a `-pooler` suffix) and the direct hostname. Pooled connections support up to 10,000 client connections through PgBouncer in transaction mode. See [Connection pooling](https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling) for the full reference.

## Toggle pooling from the Console

1. Sign in to the [Neon Console](https://console.neon.tech) and select your project.
2. On the **Project Dashboard**, click **Connect**.
3. In the **Connect to your database** modal, choose a **Branch**, **Compute**, **Database**, and **Role**.
4. Use the **Connection pooling** switch to flip between pooled and direct.

A pooled connection string has `-pooler` in the hostname:

```text
postgresql://alex:AbC123dEf@ep-cool-darkness-a1b2c3d4-pooler.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/dbname?sslmode=require&channel_binding=require
```

A direct connection string has no `-pooler` segment:

```text
postgresql://alex:AbC123dEf@ep-cool-darkness-a1b2c3d4.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/dbname?sslmode=require&channel_binding=require
```

The toggle does not turn the pooler off at the compute. It selects which hostname your app uses. The pooled endpoint is always available — use the `-pooler` hostname to reach it.

## Enable pooling via the connection string

The recommended way to use pooled connections is to append `-pooler` to the endpoint ID in your connection string hostname:

```text
postgresql://alex:AbC123dEf@ep-cool-darkness-a1b2c3d4-pooler.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/dbname?sslmode=require
```

The `pooler_enabled` endpoint API property is deprecated. Use the `-pooler` hostname suffix instead. See [Connection pooling](https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling#how-to-use-connection-pooling) for details.

## When to use pooled vs direct

Use the pooled hostname for:

- Serverless functions and edge runtimes
- Connection-per-request web frameworks
- Workloads with many short-lived connections

Use the direct hostname for:

- `pg_dump` and `pg_restore` (uses session-level `SET` statements)
- `LISTEN` / `NOTIFY`
- Long-running transactions, schema migrations, and SQL-level `PREPARE` / `DEALLOCATE`
- Session-level advisory locks and `SET` / `RESET`

Neon's PgBouncer runs in transaction mode, so anything that relies on persistent session state needs a direct connection. See the [pooled vs direct table](https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling#when-to-use-pooled-vs-direct-connections) for the full list.

**Tip: Quick check**

If a connection string contains `-pooler`, you're using the pooled endpoint. If it doesn't, you're connecting directly.

> **Read the full pooling guide**
>
> See how Neon configures PgBouncer, per-user pool sizes, and how to avoid common errors.
>
> [Connection pooling docs](https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling)