When developers encounter the limitations of Postgres scalability, they often find themselves at a crossroads: either migrate to a different database solution or construct a custom backend infrastructure. Both options can be time-consuming and divert attention from essential product development.
Introducing Springtail
Springtail emerges as a novel solution for engineering teams seeking to enhance Postgres performance. Operating in conjunction with Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, Springtail efficiently offloads and scales read execution, allowing the existing Postgres instance to remain the primary data store. This innovative approach empowers developers to boost database performance without the need for extensive application overhauls, infrastructure rebuilding, or data migrations.
Craig Soules, co-founder and CEO of Springtail, emphasizes the complexities of migrating a production database: “It involves setting up new instances, transitioning schemas, updating code, and ensuring everything stays in sync. With Springtail, your existing Postgres instance remains intact, eliminating the need for database replacement or new infrastructure.” At its core, Springtail is a cloud-native distributed database that decouples storage from computation, enabling seamless horizontal scaling for read-heavy workloads. Its architecture automatically distributes queries across multiple nodes, significantly enhancing query throughput.
Zach Bratun-Glennon, General Partner at Gradient, notes the growing demand for scalable data solutions, particularly with the increasing prevalence of analytics and AI in modern applications. “Springtail offers unparalleled out-of-the-box Postgres scalability, liberating engineering teams from database management while optimizing cost and throughput,” he states.
Springtail’s leadership comprises data and infrastructure experts with notable backgrounds from HP, NetApp, and Freshworks. Co-founders Craig Soules and Garth Goodson, who met at Carnegie Mellon, bring extensive experience in distributed systems. George Szundi, who spearheaded go-to-market strategies for their previous venture acquired by Freshworks, rounds out the team, combining technical expertise with a proven track record in building successful software companies.
Scalable On-Demand Read Replicas
The initial offering from Springtail introduces scalable, on-demand read replicas for Postgres on AWS. Unlike traditional replicas that must operate continuously to maintain synchronization with the primary database, Springtail replicas share a storage layer and independently scale compute resources. This flexibility allows teams to activate or deactivate replicas as needed, minimizing overhead and eliminating the costs associated with idle infrastructure.
“Springtail enables users to pay only for the performance they require, precisely when they need it,” explains Garth Goodson, co-founder and CTO. “This can lead to potential savings of up to 58% on Postgres read replication compared to Amazon RDS.” Springtail is actively collaborating with teams to enhance the performance of their existing PostgreSQL databases and invites software developers to explore more at www.springtail.io.
About Springtail
Springtail is a cloud service designed to horizontally scale the performance of existing PostgreSQL databases. Founded in 2023, the company aims to alleviate developers from the complexities of managing scalable data infrastructure. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Springtail is supported by Google’s early-stage fund, Gradient. For further information, visit www.springtail.io.
About Gradient
Gradient has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence investments since 2017, led by former founders, technical experts, and domain specialists who have supported numerous AI founders from inception. Gradient is headquartered in San Francisco. More information can be found at www.gradient.com.
Media Contact
George Szundi, Springtail, 1 408-641-9581, [email protected], https://www.springtail.io
