The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has unveiled the latest iteration of its open-source database, PostgreSQL 17. This version is designed to enhance performance and scalability, aligning with the evolving demands of cloud-native computing and the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence.
Key Enhancements in PostgreSQL 17
One of the standout features in this release is the improved support for JSON, a significant factor in the database’s growing popularity. Tom Kincaid, Senior Vice President of Database Server Development at EDB, a key contributor to the project, noted that the implementation of the SQL/JSON standard is now largely complete. “One of the most requested features has been the implementation of JSON_TABLE, which allows users to transform a JSON document into a relational table view. This not only highlights the extensibility of PostgreSQL but also underscores its ongoing evolution towards greater user-friendliness,” he explained.
PostgreSQL 17 introduces support for SQL/JSON constructors such as JSON, JSON_SCALAR, and JSON_SERIALIZE, along with a suite of query functions like JSON_EXISTS, JSON_QUERY, and JSON_VALUE. These enhancements provide developers with additional methods to interact with their JSON data. Furthermore, the release expands the range of jsonpath expressions, focusing on converting JSON data into native PostgreSQL types, including numeric, boolean, string, and date/time formats.
Additionally, PostgreSQL 17 enhances the MERGE command, which facilitates conditional updates. New features include a RETURNING clause and the capability to update views. The release also optimizes bulk loading and data exporting, achieving up to a 2x performance boost when exporting large rows via the COPY command. “The COPY command performance has also seen improvements when the source and destination encodings align, and a new ON_ERROR option allows imports to proceed despite insert errors,” the announcement elaborated.
Another significant addition highlighted by Kincaid is the introduction of incremental backup capabilities. “PostgreSQL databases can reach sizes of tens to hundreds of terabytes, and performing a full backup could take several days, depending on hardware and architecture,” he remarked. “With incremental backup, users can now combine these backups into a full backup without imposing a heavy load on the database server.”
Overall, PostgreSQL 17 promises system-wide performance improvements and a more robust experience for developers. For a comprehensive overview of the new features and changes, refer to the release notes.
