A PlanetScale database is built using Vitess, a horizontally-scaling MySQL-compatible database platform, and Kubernetes, an orchestration tool that provides resilient infrastructure. Every database in PlanetScale has its own dedicated Vitess cluster, which includes multiple components such as tablets, vtgate instances, and vtctld instances. This allows for scalability, reliability, and high availability. Additionally, PlanetScale provides features such as edge routing, online schema changes, automated backups, primary and replicas, availability zones, and built-in monitoring with Insights to ensure optimal performance and security. The platform also offers a simple interface for creating databases, managing users and permissions, and automating administrative tasks using service tokens and the pscale CLI. Overall, PlanetScale aims to provide a straightforward and easy-to-use interface while leveraging complex technology to create a powerful and reliable database solution.