Cells, runtimes and databases
What a cell is, which runtime supports which operation, and which database engines exist.
Cells
A cell is a self-contained Kubernetes cluster in one jurisdiction: Lagos, Abuja, London, the EU or your own premises. Apps, databases, logs, backups and audit records stay inside it, and it keeps serving if the control plane is unreachable.
What each runtime supports
| Operation | Kubernetes (cells) | Docker (laptop and CI only) |
|---|---|---|
| Run a workload | Yes | Yes |
| Postgres database | Yes, Postgres 17 | Yes |
| Rollback | Not yet | Yes |
| Migrations | Not yet | No |
| Restore drills | Not yet | No |
| Export | Not yet | No |
| Sleep when idle | Yes, never in production | Yes, never in production |
Postgres
Postgres 17 runs on CloudNativePG with three instances, synchronous replicas and Barman backups. Other engines, including Valkey and MySQL, are refused on cells with ENGINE_NOT_IMPLEMENTED.
Restore drills
A restore drill restores a backup, measures data lost and time taken, and compares checksums. The result is signed and becomes a Trust Page fact. Drills are weekly and signed on Business and above.