Let's Build PlanetScale from Scratch: Infrastructure

This article describes Homescale, an open-source infrastructure tool that enables rapid creation of writable database clones and branches without full data copying, using copy-on-write storage optimization similar to PlanetScale's architecture. The technology separates database storage from compute and applies Docker-like image/container models to databases, allowing development teams to create isolated, point-in-time database instances for testing and feature development with minimal storage overhead. For IT organizations, this approach can significantly reduce database infrastructure costs, accelerate development cycles, and improve data isolation for testing while maintaining compatibility with existing database engines like PostgreSQL.