PlanetScale Growth Playbook
The database for developers.
Tech
Vitess
Strategy
Branching
The Spark
Schema changes are scary. Scaling MySQL is hard.
The Growth Engine
Developer-First Database Safety: PlanetScale won through the tactical introduction of 'Database Branching'. By making database schema changes feel as safe as a Git Pull Request, they solved the single most stressful part of a developer's workflow. This 'Quality of Life' improvement created intense user loyalty. They coupled this with high-production value 'Developer Relations' content that taught advanced MySQL concepts, positioning PlanetScale as the home for developers who care about both scale and developer experience.