Lakebase
Lakemeter UI name: Lakebase
Lakebase is Databricks' managed PostgreSQL-compatible transactional database. Unlike compute workloads, Lakebase has two independent cost components: compute (CU-based) and storage (DSU-based), which appear as separate rows in the Excel export.
The Lakebase guide — compute units, storage pricing, and dual-row Excel export explained.
Worked example showing separate compute and storage cost calculations.
When to use Lakebase
Use Lakebase when you need a managed transactional database for your Databricks application -- CRUD operations, user data, application state, or any workload that needs PostgreSQL compatibility. If you need analytics/BI queries over large datasets, see DBSQL instead.
Real-world example
Scenario: You are deploying a web application backend on AWS us-east-1 (Premium tier). The database needs 4 Compute Units with a read replica for high availability (2 nodes total), 500 GB of storage, and runs 24/7.
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Workload Type | Lakebase |
| CU Size | 4 |
| Number of Nodes | 2 (primary + 1 read replica) |
| Storage (GB) | 500 |
| Hours Per Month | 730 (24/7) |
Step-by-step calculation
1. Compute cost
DBU/Hour = CU Size x Number of Nodes = 4 x 2 = 8 DBU/hour
Monthly DBUs = DBU/Hour x Hours/Month = 8 x 730 = 5,840 DBUs
Compute Cost = 5,840 x $0.40/DBU = $2,336.00
2. Storage cost
Lakebase storage is measured in Databricks Storage Units (DSU). Each GB equals 15 DSU:
Total DSU = Storage GB x 15 = 500 x 15 = 7,500 DSU
Storage Cost = 7,500 x $0.023/DSU = $172.50/month
3. Total monthly cost
Total = Compute Cost + Storage Cost = $2,336.00 + $172.50 = $2,508.50/month
These are example rates for illustration. The $0.40/DBU rate is the fallback for DATABASE_SERVERLESS_COMPUTE on AWS/us-east-1/Premium. Actual rates depend on your cloud, region, and pricing tier. Storage at $0.023/DSU is a fixed rate.
What about a smaller deployment?
For a development database with 1 CU, 1 node, 100 GB, business hours only:
Compute: 1 x 1 x 176 hrs = 176 DBUs x $0.40 = $70.40
Storage: 100 x 15 x $0.023 = $34.50
Total: $104.90/month
Configuration reference
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| CU Size | Compute Units per node: 1, 2, 4, or 8. Determines the DBU/hour rate per node. | 1 |
| Number of Nodes | 1 = primary only. 2 = primary + 1 read replica (HA). 3 = primary + 2 read replicas (max HA). | 1 |
| Storage (GB) | Provisioned storage in gigabytes, 0 to 8,192. | 0 |
| Hours Per Month | Compute uptime. Use 730 for always-on databases. | 730 |
Nodes and high availability
| Nodes | Description | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary node only | Development, non-critical workloads |
| 2 | Primary + 1 read replica | Production with read scaling and failover |
| 3 | Primary + 2 read replicas | Maximum HA, heavy read workloads |
Each additional node multiplies the compute cost linearly.
Estimating hours for part-time usage
Lakebase uses direct hours input only. If your database is not always-on (e.g., a development database used during work hours), calculate your hours manually:
Hours/Month = Sessions Per Day x Avg Duration Hours x Days Per Month
Example: 8 hours/day x 22 business days = 176 hours/month — enter 176 in the Hours/Month field.
How costs are calculated
Compute
DBU/Hour = CU Size x Number of Nodes
Monthly DBUs = DBU/Hour x Hours/Month
Compute Cost = Monthly DBUs x $/DBU
SKU: DATABASE_SERVERLESS_COMPUTE (fallback: $0.40/DBU)
Storage
Total DSU = Storage GB x 15
Storage Cost = Total DSU x $0.023/DSU
SKU: DATABRICKS_STORAGE
Storage cost is a fixed monthly amount independent of compute hours. You pay for provisioned storage capacity regardless of how many hours the compute runs.
Total
Total = Compute Cost + Storage Cost
Edge cases
| Scenario | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Storage = 0 or not set | No storage sub-row emitted in Excel |
| Maximum storage (8,192 GB) | Storage cost = 8,192 x 15 x $0.023 = $2,826.24/month |
Tips
- Start with 1 CU for development: A single CU with 1 node is sufficient for development and testing. Scale to 2, 4, or 8 CU based on query load and concurrency.
- Use 2 nodes for production: A read replica provides both read scaling and automatic failover. The 2x compute cost is worth it for production reliability.
- Storage is cheap relative to compute: 500 GB costs ~$172/month, while even 1 CU at 730 hours costs ~$292. Optimize CU size first.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a single cost number: Lakebase produces two rows in the Excel export -- one for compute, one for storage. The total is the sum of both.
- Setting storage to 0 for testing: If storage is 0 or not set, no storage row appears. Remember to include realistic storage estimates for production sizing.
- Forgetting nodes multiply compute: 2 nodes doubles the DBU/hour, 3 nodes triples it. A 4 CU database with 3 nodes uses 12 DBU/hour, not 4.
- Confusing CU with vCPU: Compute Units (CU) are a Databricks-specific unit, not CPU cores. The available CU sizes (1, 2, 4, 8) map to DBU rates, not to hardware specifications.
Excel export
Lakebase workloads export as two rows per line item:
| Row | Contents | SKU |
|---|---|---|
| Compute row | CU-based DBU costs (CU x nodes x hours x $/DBU) | DATABASE_SERVERLESS_COMPUTE |
| Storage row | GB-based storage costs (GB x 15 DSU x $0.023/DSU) | DATABRICKS_STORAGE |
| Column (compute row) | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Configuration | CU size and node count |
| Mode | Serverless (always) |
| SKU | DATABASE_SERVERLESS_COMPUTE |
| DBU/Hour | CU x nodes |
| Hours/Month | Direct hours value |
| Monthly DBUs | DBU/Hour x Hours/Month |
| DBU Cost | Monthly DBUs x $/DBU |
| VM Cost | $0 (always serverless) |
| Total Cost | Compute cost only (storage is in the second row) |
The bottom-line total in the spreadsheet sums across both compute and storage rows for the final Lakebase cost.