MasterBoard, a startup building software for hydraulics repair shops, switched from AWS to Prisma Postgres to simplify their CI/CD workflows. The move reduced infrastructure overhead, simplified testing and deployment, and gave both developers and testers faster, hassle-free workflows.
Why they moved away from AWS
Setting up backups, managing scaling, and monitoring performance took too much time. The complexity of navigating IAM roles, fine-tuning EC2 instances, and getting a simple Postgres database running with best practices felt like a full-time job. Even basic things like resetting a database or testing schema changes meant wrestling with a patchwork of tools and services.
“AWS is so complex… I love minimalism and simplicity, and Prisma provides both.”
With Prisma Postgres, the MasterBoard team found a solution that felt modern and fast. It runs on bare metal using unikernels, so there are no cold starts and the latency is low. Setup was simple, and the UI felt clean and focused, no more digging through dozens of AWS tabs to do basic tasks.
Testing each branch with real data
One of MasterBoard’s key workflows is their pull-request-based testing system. Using Prisma’s management API and GitHub Actions, they automatically spin up a fresh database for each pull request. That database gets seeded with six months of transactional test data.
When it’s time to test, the team just shares a unique link tied to the pull request. Testers can jump in and validate features in a live environment. There’s no need to install anything locally or manage a dev database.
“We just give testers a URL and say, ‘Here you go. Test it.’ No localhost. No database setup. It’s seamless.”
This made testing faster and more reliable, especially for team members who aren’t developers. It also allowed MasterBoard to skip the complexity of staging environments entirely.
Fast performance and flexible tooling
Speed was a big motivator, and Prisma Postgres delivered. Even team members who were big AWS advocates noticed the difference.
It also fit nicely into MasterBoard’s existing toolchain. They used Next.js for caching but liked that Prisma didn’t force any particular approach. Tools like Accelerate were available if they needed them, but nothing felt locked in.
Personalized support that made a difference
Early on, the team had questions about Prisma’s query-based billing model, especially when seeding databases with lots of test data. Rather than guess, they reached out to Prisma.
The response was quick. The Prisma team jumped in and helped them feel confident in their setup. But it wasn’t just about the help, it was the level of attention and care that stood out.
“The customer service was incredible. The amount of dedication and personal touch made us feel privileged.”
This kind of support helped MasterBoard commit fully to Prisma Postgres. They had briefly considered other platforms like Nile, but those introduced their own complexity. With Prisma, the team felt heard and supported.
More time to build, less time on setup
By handing off infrastructure to Prisma, the team could focus on building features instead of managing databases, backups, or scaling rules.
“The fact that Prisma exists just makes our lives so much easier. We can build so much more because of Prisma.”
Between the performance, the developer experience, and the support, Prisma Postgres gave MasterBoard the foundation they needed to move faster and worry less.
Try Prisma PostgresSee how Prisma Postgres can help you ship faster without the usual database overhead. To check out the GitHub Actions workflow MasterBoard built with Prisma Postgres, visit here.
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