When This Skill Activates

This skill auto-activates when you're working with:

SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis)
Database schema design and modeling
Query optimization and performance tuning
Database migrations and schema evolution
Connection pooling configuration
ORM usage and patterns
Database selection and architecture decisions
caching
cache
Redis
CDN
HTTP caching
cache invalidation
performance
Service Workers

Available Skills

Quick Reference

The Database category contains 19 skills across 2 subcategories:

Database (12 skills):

postgres-schema-design - Schema design, relationships, data types, normalization
postgres-query-optimization - EXPLAIN plans, indexes, slow query debugging
postgres-migrations - Schema changes, zero-downtime, rollback strategies
mongodb-document-design - Document modeling, embedding vs referencing
redis-data-structures - Caching, sessions, rate limiting, leaderboards
database-connection-pooling - Pool configuration, debugging exhaustion
orm-patterns - ORM best practices, N+1 prevention, eager loading
database-selection - Choosing databases, SQL vs NoSQL decisions

Plus 4 more in ../database/INDEX.md

Caching (7 skills): See ../caching/INDEX.md

Load Full Category Details

Read ../database/INDEX.md Read ../caching/INDEX.md

Common Workflows

New Database Project

Sequence: Selection → Schema design → Connection pooling

Read ../database/database-selection.md # Choose database Read ../database/postgres-schema-design.md # or mongodb-document-design.md Read ../database/database-connection-pooling.md

Query Performance Debugging

Sequence: Optimization → Connection pooling → ORM patterns

Read ../database/postgres-query-optimization.md # Debug slow queries Read ../database/database-connection-pooling.md # Check pool settings Read ../database/orm-patterns.md # Fix N+1 queries

Schema Evolution

Sequence: Schema design → Migrations

Read ../database/postgres-schema-design.md # Design changes Read ../database/postgres-migrations.md # Implement safely

Caching Layer

Sequence: Redis structures → Cache patterns

Read ../database/redis-data-structures.md # Redis patterns Read ../caching/INDEX.md # Cache patterns

Skill Selection Guide

PostgreSQL skills (relational, ACID, complex queries):

postgres-schema-design.md - Design relational schemas
postgres-query-optimization.md - Optimize complex queries
postgres-migrations.md - Evolve schema over time

MongoDB skills (document-oriented, flexible schema):

mongodb-document-design.md - Design document structures
Choose when: Flexible schema, nested data, rapid iteration

Redis skills (in-memory, key-value, caching):

redis-data-structures.md - Caching, sessions, rate limiting
Choose when: Speed critical, caching layer, real-time features

Cross-database skills:

database-selection.md - Start here for new projects
database-connection-pooling.md - All databases need this
orm-patterns.md - When using ORMs (SQLAlchemy, Prisma, Mongoose)

Integration with Other Skills

Database skills commonly combine with:

API skills (discover-api):

API endpoints → Database queries
Connection pooling for API servers
Query optimization for API performance
Migrations alongside API versioning

Backend language skills (discover-backend):

Python: SQLAlchemy, psycopg2, PyMongo
Zig: PostgreSQL C bindings
Rust: SQLx, Diesel
Go: database/sql, GORM

Testing skills (discover-testing):

Integration tests with test databases
Migration testing
Query performance testing
Data fixture management

Data pipeline skills (discover-data):

ETL from databases
Database as data source
Bulk data operations
Streaming database changes (CDC)

Observability skills (discover-observability):

Query metrics and slow query logs
Connection pool metrics
Database performance monitoring
Alert configuration

Progressive Loading

This gateway skill (~200 lines, ~2K tokens) enables progressive loading:

Level 1: Gateway loads automatically (you're here now)
Level 2: Load category INDEX.md (~3K tokens) for full overview
Level 3: Load specific skills (~2-4K tokens each) as needed

Total context: 2K + 3K + skill(s) = 5-10K tokens vs 25K+ for entire index.

Quick Start Examples

"Design a PostgreSQL schema for an e-commerce app": Read ../database/postgres-schema-design.md

"Why is my query slow?": Read ../database/postgres-query-optimization.md

"How do I safely change my database schema?": Read ../database/postgres-migrations.md

"Should I use MongoDB or PostgreSQL?": Read ../database/database-selection.md

"Implement caching with Redis": Read ../database/redis-data-structures.md

"Fix N+1 queries in my ORM": Read ../database/orm-patterns.md

Database Type Decision Tree

Need ACID transactions? YES → PostgreSQL
Need complex queries/joins? YES → PostgreSQL
Need flexible schema? YES → MongoDB
Need real-time caching? YES → Redis
Need full-text search? YES → PostgreSQL (with extensions) or Elasticsearch
Need graph relationships? YES → Neo4j or PostgreSQL (with extensions)
Need analytics? YES → DuckDB or Redpanda + Iceberg

For detailed decision-making: Read ../database/database-selection.md

PostgreSQL Focus Areas

Schema design → postgres-schema-design.md:

Tables, columns, data types
Primary keys, foreign keys, constraints
Normalization vs denormalization
Indexing strategies

Query optimization → postgres-query-optimization.md:

EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE
Index selection and creation
Query plan analysis
Performance tuning

Migrations → postgres-migrations.md:

Schema change strategies
Zero-downtime deployments
Rollback procedures
Migration tools (Alembic, Flyway, migrate)

NoSQL Focus Areas

MongoDB → mongodb-document-design.md:

Document structure and embedding
References vs embedding tradeoffs
Schema versioning
Index design for documents

Redis → redis-data-structures.md:

Strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets
Caching patterns and TTLs
Session storage
Rate limiting implementations
Leaderboards and counters

ORM Considerations

Before using ORMs, load: Read ../database/orm-patterns.md

Common ORM pitfalls:

N+1 query problems
Lazy vs eager loading confusion
Transaction management
Raw SQL when necessary
Migration generation

Supported ORMs:

SQLAlchemy (Python)
Prisma (TypeScript/Node.js)
Diesel (Rust)
GORM (Go)
ActiveRecord (Ruby)
Entity Framework (C#)

Usage Instructions

Auto-activation: This skill loads automatically when Claude Code detects database work
Browse skills: Run Read ../database/INDEX.md for full category overview
Load specific skills: Use bash commands above to load individual skills
Follow workflows: Use recommended sequences for common patterns
Decision support: Start with database-selection.md for new projects

Next Steps: Run Read ../database/INDEX.md to see full category details, or load specific skills using the bash commands above.

discover-database

Database Skills Discovery