---
name: databases-for-postgresql-gen2-overview
title: Overview of Gen 1 (Classic) and Gen 2 (VPC)
description: '[Gen 2]'
last-updated: 2026-09-12
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/databases-for-postgresql-gen2?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Overview of Gen 1 (Classic) and Gen 2 (VPC)
{: #overview-gen1-gen2}

[Gen 2]{: tag-purple}

Cloud Databases support an extensive portfolio of relational and non-relational (NoSQL) databases and integrations to support building a wide range of application types across all industries. The following page outlines the key differences between Cloud Databases built on IBM’s Classic platform (Gen 1) and the latest VPC-based platform (Gen 2).

## Generation 1 (Classic)
{: #gen1}

IBM’s original platform that consists of all databases across all regions and a rich feature set. Gen 1 Databases support both private and public endpoints, with options for isolated and shared compute. This environment is best suited for workloads that benefit from simpler networking and isolation features.

## Generation 2 (VPC)
{: #gen2}

Gen 2 databases are built on IBM Cloud®’s latest platform, based on highly secure software-defined networking architecture and ideal for cloud-native applications. Gen 2 Databases are currently only available in select regions only and support private endpoints and isolated compute options. This environment is ideal for modern applications that demand advanced networking and secure, software-defined isolation.

## Feature differentiators
{: #feature-differentiators}

| Category                     | Gen 1                                                            | Gen 2                                             |
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| Regions                     | Multizone location (MZR) <br> Dallas (us-south) <br> Sao Paulo (br-sao) <br> Toronto (ca-tor) <br> Washington (us-east) <br> Frankfurt (eu-de) <br> London (eu-gb) <br> Madrid (eu-es) <br> Osaka (jp-osa) <br> Sydney (au-syd) <br> Tokyo (jp-tok) | Single-campus MZR (SC-MZR) <br> Montreal (ca-mon) <br> Chennai - Airtel (in-che) <br> Mumbai (in-mum) <br> Frankfurt (eu-de) <br> Washington (us-east) <br> Madrid (eu-es)<br> Sydney (au-syd) |
| Database editions           | PostgreSQL <br> MongoDB (Standard and Enterprise) <br> Redis <br> Elasticsearch (Enterprise and Platinum) <br> MySQL <br> RabbitMQ           | PostgreSQL <br> MongoDB (Standard and Enterprise) <br> Redis <br> Elasticsearch (Standard and Enterprise) <br>  MySQL <br> RabbitMQ  |
| Endpoints                   | Private endpoints <br> Public endpoints                           | Private endpoints                                 |
| Hosting models              | Isolated compute <br> Shared compute                              | Isolated compute                                  |
| Database versions supported | Minimum 2, varies per database                                    | Latest                                            |
| Autoscaling                 | Yes                                                               | Future release                                    |
| Read replicas (SQL only)    | Yes                                                               | Future release                                    |
{: caption="Feature differentiators" caption-side="bottom"}

## Performance differentiators
{: #performance-differentiators}

| Category               | Gen 1                                                                 | Gen 2                                               |
|------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Compute generation     | IBM Classic infrastructure                                            | IBM Cloud VPC                                       |
| Availability           | High availability                                                     | High availability                                   |
| Deployment time frame   | Minutes                                                               | Minutes                                             |
| Pricing                | Hourly and monthly billing                                            | Hourly and monthly billing                          |
| Backup and restore     | Timing depends on the size of backup and performance impact during backup | Consistent, fast [Comparison of Gen 1 and Gen 2 backups](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-databases-gen2?topic=cloud-databases-gen2-comparison-backups&interface=ui&format=markdown)|
{: caption="Performance differentiators" caption-side="bottom"}

## Access, compliance, and security differentiators
{: #access-compliance-security-differentiators}

| Category               | Gen 1                                                                 | Gen 2                                              |
|------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| User and role management | [Database `admin` user created by IBM](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/databases-for-mongodb-gen2?topic=databases-for-mongodb-gen2-user-management&interface=ui&format=markdown) | Database "manager" by using service-credential                              |
| Certificate type       | Signed by IBM Cloud Database Certificate Authority                    | Certificates signed by a Certificate Authority (Let's Encrypt)         |
| Encryption             | Encryption at Rest <br> Encryption in Transit <br> Customer-managed encryption - Bring your own key (BYOK) | Encryption at Rest <br> Encryption in Transit <br> Customer-managed encryption - Bring your own key (BYOK) |
| Compliance             | FS Cloud <br> GDPR <br> ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 <br> SOC 1, SOC 2 <br> PCI DSS <br> HIPAA  | FS Cloud <br> GDPR <br> ISO 27001, 27017, 27018SOC 1 <br> SOC 2 <br> PCI DSS <br> HIPAA      |
{: caption="Access, compliance, and security differentiators" caption-side="bottom"}