StackBlaze vs Render
Render sleeps free instances. StackBlaze signups start with a 7-day free trial, Developer is $10/mo with $10 of included usage, and stackblaze.yaml follows the render.yaml format so blueprints port over cleanly.
Idle behavior
StackBlaze Developer
Always on · $10/mo paid plan
Render free
Sleeps after idle
7-day free trial to start · stackblaze.yaml, not blueprint.yaml
Why StackBlaze
Databases run by Kubernetes operators, not containers on a volume
StackBlaze is built on Kubernetes, and every database add-on is managed by a battle-tested operator: CloudNativePG for Postgres, the MariaDB operator for MySQL, Strimzi for Kafka. You get the deployment, backup, and failover automation platform teams build in-house, without ever touching kubectl.
Scheduled backups, your retention
Postgres, MariaDB, and Valkey add-ons back up to object storage on a schedule you set, with a retention policy (7d, 4w, 3m) enforced by the operator.
Point-in-time recovery
Postgres archives WAL continuously; MariaDB takes physical backups. Restore to a timestamp as a new instance while the original keeps serving traffic.
HA with automatic failover
Scale a database to a replicated cluster and the operator handles failover. MariaDB promotion even rebinds ProxySQL so apps reconnect to the new primary.
Next to your app, privately
Every database runs on the same private network as your services, reachable over cluster DNS. No public endpoints, no cross-vendor egress fees.
Render's managed Postgres is good, but the catalog stops at Postgres and Key Value. StackBlaze runs operator-backed add-ons from Postgres and MariaDB to Valkey and Kafka, with the same backup and restore story on each, on every plan. MongoDB-compatible, ClickHouse, and OpenSearch are coming soon.
Postgres (CloudNativePG) · MySQL / MariaDB · Valkey (Redis) · Kafka (Strimzi) · MemcachedComing soonMongoDB-compatible · RabbitMQ · ClickHouse · OpenSearch · CockroachDB · Cassandra · ScyllaDB · Milvus · S3-compatible storage
Feature comparison
| Feature | StackBlaze | Render |
|---|---|---|
| Public entry plan | 7-day free trial, then Developer $10/mo | Free (sleeps) / paid |
| Usage model | Credits, then PAYG | Instance + add-ons |
| Custom domains | Yes | Yes |
| Persistent disk | Yes | Yes |
| Managed Postgres | Yes | Yes |
| Managed Redis | Yes | Yes (Key Value) |
| MongoDB-compatible | Coming soon | No |
| MariaDB / Kafka | Yes | No |
| ClickHouse | Coming soon | No |
| DB backups + PITR | All plans | Paid instances |
| Private networking | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Preview environments | Pro and above | Yes |
| Cron jobs | Yes | Yes |
| Background workers | Yes | Yes |
| Blueprint file | stackblaze.yaml | render.yaml |
Where StackBlaze goes further
Same starting price, meaningfully more capability.
MongoDB-compatible add-onComing soon
Postgres, Valkey, and MariaDB are add-ons on the same private network, and MongoDB-compatible (DocumentDB) is coming soon. You will not need Atlas for a basic document store.
Dashboard, not kubectl
Apps, phases, and add-ons are edited in the dashboard or via stackblaze.yaml. You never run kubectl or edit CRs.
stackblaze.yaml
When Infrastructure as Code is enabled on the project, plan and apply stackblaze.yaml. The format follows render.yaml closely so migrations stay familiar. Apply never deletes.
Plans
Render free sleeps. StackBlaze starts with a 7-day free trial, and Developer is $10/mo with $10 of included usage.
Render's free web services spin down after idle. Every StackBlaze signup starts with a 7-day free trial with $3 of usage. Developer is $10/mo with $10 of included usage, and custom domains are included on every plan.
Infrastructure as code
render.yaml vs stackblaze.yaml
The blueprint format follows render.yaml so migrations stay familiar. Export a live phase from the dashboard, then plan and apply when IaC is enabled. Apply never deletes. There is no npm CLI importer.
Migrating from Render
If you already have a render.yaml, most of the work is already done.
Export your render.yaml (if you have one)
If your project already has a render.yaml, adapt it to stackblaze.yaml. There is no compose/CLI importer — use the dashboard or the blueprint API when IaC is enabled.
Connect your GitHub repository
Click "Add Service", authorise StackBlaze with GitHub, and select your repository. StackBlaze auto-detects your build command and start command from the existing render.yaml or from common project conventions (package.json, Dockerfile, Procfile).
Provision managed databases
Create a Postgres, Valkey, or MariaDB add-on from the dashboard. Connection URLs are injected as environment variables. Adapt render.yaml fromService references in stackblaze.yaml.
# stackblaze.yaml, database reference example
envVars:
- key: DATABASE_URL
fromService:
name: my-postgres
property: connectionString
Copy environment variables
Paste environment variables into the dashboard or include them in stackblaze.yaml.
Update your custom domain DNS
Add your domain under Settings → Domains. Update your DNS CNAME to the StackBlaze edge address shown in the panel. TLS is provisioned automatically, no separate certificate management needed.
Start on Developer for $10/mo
Developer is $10/mo with $10 of included usage. A card is required. Connect GitHub and apply stackblaze.yaml when you want IaC.