Does PlanetScale Work With Turso?
PlanetScale and Turso cannot be used together as they are mutually exclusive database solutions—you choose one or the other, not both.
Quick Facts
How PlanetScale Works With Turso
PlanetScale and Turso are fundamentally incompatible because they serve as complete, standalone database platforms rather than complementary tools. PlanetScale provides a serverless MySQL-compatible database with Git-like branching for schema management, while Turso offers edge-distributed SQLite via libSQL. Both are database backends, so selecting one means you've already chosen your persistence layer. The architectural approaches differ significantly: PlanetScale uses MySQL's InnoDB with horizontal sharding capabilities, while Turso emphasizes edge computing with replicated SQLite instances. You cannot run both simultaneously against the same application without managing two separate databases, which defeats the purpose of either platform. The decision between them depends on your specific needs: MySQL compatibility and branching workflows (PlanetScale) versus edge-first latency and SQLite familiarity (Turso).
Choosing Between Them
npm install @planetscale/database libsql// PlanetScale example
import { Client } from '@planetscale/database';
const psClient = new Client({ url: process.env.DATABASE_URL });
const results = await psClient.execute('SELECT * FROM users');
// Turso example (different client entirely)
import { createClient } from '@libsql/client';
const tursoClient = createClient({ url: process.env.TURSO_URL, authToken: process.env.TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN });
const tursoResults = await tursoClient.execute('SELECT * FROM users');
// You pick ONE, not both. They are mutually exclusive.Known Issues & Gotchas
Attempting to use both as primary databases will create data synchronization nightmares and architectural confusion
Fix: Choose one platform as your primary database. If you need multiple database technologies, use PlanetScale or Turso alongside a separate cache layer (Redis) or document store, not each other
Different SQL dialects: PlanetScale is MySQL; Turso is SQLite. Migration between them requires schema translation
Fix: Select your database upfront. If switching later becomes necessary, use migration tools specific to your source/target database combination
Connection pooling, transaction semantics, and query syntax differ significantly between MySQL and SQLite
Fix: Use an ORM or query builder that abstracts database differences (Prisma, Drizzle, Sequelize) if you anticipate switching databases
Alternatives
- •PlanetScale + Redis (for caching and session management alongside MySQL)
- •Turso + Upstash (edge-first stack with SQLite database and serverless Redis)
- •Neon PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM (if you want branching with PostgreSQL instead of MySQL)
Resources
Related Compatibility Guides
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