> This page location: Functions > Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt # Long-running functions, right next to your database Managed Functions for Lakebase Postgres **Diagram:** An application connects to long-running serverless Node.js Functions inside a Neon branch. Functions connect to Lakebase Postgres, AI Gateway, and Object Storage. ## Get started - [Start building](https://console.neon.tech/signup) - [Read the docs](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview) ## Backend compute Run backend logic where your data lives — and keep it running when the job takes time. ### Next to Lakebase Postgres. Functions run in the same region as your Neon branch, with its `DATABASE_URL` and credentials for AI Gateway and Object Storage injected automatically. ### Serverless and long-running. Start responding quickly, then keep streaming as agents call models and tools, WebSockets stay open, or SSE sends live updates. ### For backend work that needs more than a quick response - APIs - AI agents - MCP servers - WebSockets - SSE ## Functions that branch with the rest of your stack. Your agent can deploy isolated backend environments to run previews or tests, functions included. ### Branches with your data Create a child branch and the function follows, with its own invocation URL and branch-specific database context. ### Declared in `neon.ts` Define Functions alongside the rest of your Neon backend in one typed config, then deploy the selected branch with `neon deploy`. ### Agent-friendly support Tell your agent to deploy and manage your functions alongside the rest of the Neon backend. ## Your questions, answered ### What are Neon Functions? Neon Functions are serverless functions you deploy onto a Neon branch, so your backend code runs in the same region as your database. `DATABASE_URL` is injected automatically, along with AI Gateway and Object Storage credentials when you use them. Use a Function to host an API, an MCP server, an AI agent, a real-time server, or a webhook handler without standing up separate infrastructure. Functions run JavaScript or TypeScript on the Node.js runtime. ### How are Neon Functions different from lambda-style serverless? Functions run next to your data and stay open for long-running work. A Function can start responding within 15 minutes and keep streaming while data flows, so agents, WebSockets, and SSE connections aren't cut off by a short execution limit. They are still serverless: idle functions can be evicted. ### When should I use Neon Functions? Use Functions for backend APIs, AI agents, MCP servers, WebSockets, SSE, file upload handlers, webhook handlers, and other request-driven work that benefits from running close to your data. Hosting an MCP server is a common pattern: the Function stays close to Postgres, can keep a long-lived stream open, and gets `DATABASE_URL` plus other Neon credentials injected automatically, so the MCP tools can query and mutate the same branch as the rest of the backend. ### Should I run my frontend on Neon Functions? Run your frontend on your preferred web host. Use Functions for backend work that needs longer execution, persistent connections, or direct access to your Neon services. ### Can I run cron jobs or scheduled work? Yes. Function Triggers let Neon invoke a deployed Function on a cron schedule. Schedules run outside the Postgres compute, so they fire even when the database is scaled to zero. This replaces the pattern of running an external scheduler or keeping a compute awake for `pg_cron`. For queued, retryable background jobs with their own lifecycle, pair a Function with a job queue or workflow service. A native Neon job queue is a separate, upcoming offering. ### What are Function Triggers? Triggers tell Neon when to invoke a deployed Function. They live on a branch and point to a Function on that branch. A child branch inherits its parent's triggers, but they arrive disabled and don't run until you enable them, so branching production for a test doesn't fire the parent's schedule a second time. The first trigger type is cron schedules, with event-based triggers that react to activity inside Neon planned next. ### What happens to my Functions when I create a branch? Each branch runs its own copy of a Function, at its own URL, against its own database state. Your Function configuration branches with the rest of your backend, so a preview or test branch gets an isolated Function endpoint. ### How do I deploy a Function? Declare the Function in `neon.ts`, then run `neon deploy`. You can also deploy a single Function with the Neon CLI. ### Can I use a custom domain? Yes. You can serve a Function from your own hostname, such as `api.example.com`, instead of its native Neon invocation URL. Register the domain from the Neon Console, CLI, SDK, or API, add the returned CNAME record at your DNS provider, and Neon issues the TLS certificate automatically through Let's Encrypt. Custom domains are included with Functions with no separate charge; traffic is billed like any other Function traffic. ### How do custom domains work with branches? A custom domain is attached to one Function on one branch, not to the whole project. If you register `api.example.com` on production, that hostname keeps pointing at the production Function after you branch. Each hostname can be registered once, so a preview branch needs its own name, such as `preview.api.example.com`. Adding a custom domain doesn't authenticate the Function or disable its native Neon URL, so protect the Function with application-level authentication. ### How does Functions pricing work? Functions are pay-as-you-go on paid plans and billed on three parts: active compute while your code runs, waiting compute while a Function is idle but held ready, and invocations. Active compute is $0.10 per Capacity-Hour on Launch and $0.12 on Scale. Waiting compute is $0.025 per Capacity-Hour on Launch and $0.03 on Scale. Invocations are $0.60 per million on both plans. See the [pricing page](https://neon.com/pricing) for current rates. ### Is there a free allowance for Functions? The Free plan includes 10 active Capacity-Hours, 400 waiting Capacity-Hours, and 1 million invocations per month. Custom domains and triggers are part of Functions and don't carry a separate charge. ### Which languages and runtimes do Functions support? Functions run JavaScript or TypeScript on the Node.js runtime. You can deploy JS/TS handlers or code that bundles to JavaScript for Node.js. A Function is any module whose default export provides a `fetch(request)` method that returns a web `Response`, the same handler shape used by other standards-based serverless runtimes. Hono is the recommended framework. ### Which regions are Functions available in? Functions run in the same region as your Neon branch. Region coverage is expanding; create your project in a supported region to use Functions. See the [Functions overview](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview) for the current list. ## Backend services Your functions branch with everything else. Create a branch and your whole backend forks with it — database, storage, auth, and a gateway endpoint of its own. ### Lakebase Postgres Serverless Postgres that scales and branches with your app. ### Authentication Managed auth with users and sessions stored in Postgres. ### Compute Functions without timeouts running close to your database. ### Storage S3-compatible object storage that branches with your projects. ### AI Gateway One API for all frontier & open-source models, powered by Databricks. ## Built for agents and the developers behind them. Every service is designed with the same API and operational model, whether it's used by a developer or called directly by an AI agent. Build once, then let both humans and agents use the same platform without additional integration work. ### Branchable Spin up isolated environments to test model changes safely, without touching production. Merge changes only when they're ready. ### Serverless Usage-based infrastructure that scales automatically with your traffic, so you only pay for what you use and nothing while idle. ### Agent-ready Provision and operate every service through APIs that AI agents can call directly, using the same interfaces as developers. **Backed by giants** ## Trusted at scale. Neon has been part of the Databricks Platform since May 2025. - **20M+** Databases started daily - built for scale and reliability. - **3M+** Developers building on Neon worldwide ### Trusted by the best #### Edouard Bonlieu > Neon's serverless philosophy is aligned with our vision: no infrastructure to manage, no servers to provision, no database cluster to maintain. > — Co-founder at Koyeb #### Alex Klarfeld > Neon allows us to develop much faster than we've even been used to. > — CEO and co-founder of Supergood.ai #### Léonard Henriquez > The killer feature that convinced us to use Neon was branching: it keeps our engineering velocity high. > — Co-founder and CTO, Topo.io #### Himanshu Bhandoh > We've been able to automate virtually all database tasks via the Neon API, saving us a tremendous amount of time and engineering effort. > — Software Engineer at Retool **Get help** ## Talk to us. Fill out a short form and we’ll get back to you within a few business days. 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