logical replication Archives

Tech Optimizer

December 1, 2025

Risks of Manual PostgreSQL Starts in Patroni Clusters: Downtime Warnings

Patroni is an open-source tool for managing PostgreSQL clusters, automating failover and replication. Manual starting of PostgreSQL services within an active Patroni cluster can lead to severe disruptions, including data integrity issues and availability risks. Patroni uses a distributed consensus system, often with etcd or Consul, to manage cluster state and leader elections. Manual interventions can confuse this process, resulting in multiple nodes believing they are the primary, which can cause conflicting writes and potential data loss. Real-world incidents have documented outages due to manual starts, such as promoting a replica node to leader status inadvertently. This disrupts Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) synchronization, leading to divergent transaction logs. Database administrators are advised to use Patroni's built-in commands for service management and implement role-based access controls to prevent unauthorized manual actions. Monitoring solutions are crucial for early detection of anomalies. Simulating failure scenarios in staging environments can help prepare teams for real incidents. Ongoing advancements aim to enhance Patroni's safeguards against manual overrides, with future iterations potentially incorporating AI-driven anomaly detection.

Tech Optimizer

November 7, 2025

PostgreSQL 13’s Sunset: Why Database Pros Must Upgrade Before the Lights Go Out

Organizations using PostgreSQL 13 must upgrade before its end-of-life on November 13, 2025, as this will result in the cessation of security patches, bug fixes, and official support. Continuing to use an unsupported version exposes systems to vulnerabilities, which can lead to data breaches and compliance challenges. The last minor release for PostgreSQL 13 was 13.21 in May 2025. Upgrading to newer versions, such as PostgreSQL 16 or 17, offers performance improvements and enhanced features. Strategies for upgrading include using tools like pg_upgrade, pg_dump/pg_restore, and logical replication to minimize downtime. Compatibility issues may arise due to deprecated functions in PostgreSQL 13, necessitating code reviews. Managed services like those from Percona can provide support beyond EOL. The costs of not upgrading can be significant, with potential downtime from security breaches often exceeding migration expenses.

Tech Optimizer

November 7, 2025

Reinventing PostgreSQL for the Next Generation of Apps

Enterprises are modernizing their databases due to latency issues, the need for global uptime, and licensing pressures. PostgreSQL is emerging as a preferred alternative to traditional database solutions like Oracle and SAP, focusing on reliability, control, and efficient management of modern workloads, including AI and edge applications. pgEdge, an open-source Postgres vendor, emphasizes that migration to PostgreSQL is about ensuring flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in. PostgreSQL's governance model, independent of any single company, is a significant advantage, particularly in light of licensing audits and forced upgrades. PostgreSQL has a large developer community and is a mainstream enterprise technology, with tools like pgAdmin widely used. Concerns about operational burdens with open source are addressed by extensions like pgEdge, which enhance PostgreSQL's capabilities for high availability and seamless multi-cloud deployment. pgEdge operationalizes PostgreSQL for distributed use, automating upgrades, backups, and point-in-time recovery, leading to a lower total cost of ownership compared to proprietary models. Modern applications require edge-native databases to operate close to users, reducing latency. pgEdge supports multimaster PostgreSQL across geographically distributed clusters, allowing local read and write capabilities while maintaining data consistency. It builds on PostgreSQL’s logical replication without forking it, ensuring compatibility and consistency. pgEdge facilitates database automation on Kubernetes, managing backups, recovery, and upgrades, making it easier for platform teams. Organizations can start with a simple setup and scale to a multiregion architecture as needed, using the same PostgreSQL stack throughout. pgEdge offers container builds that cater to enterprise needs for geospatial intelligence and AI workflows. As AI applications increasingly run at the edge, pgEdge provides the necessary performance and coherence for edge-native AI. PostgreSQL's SQL compatibility and ACID compliance ease the migration process from systems like Oracle and SAP. The extensive user base across various sectors simplifies hiring PostgreSQL expertise. Combining PostgreSQL with pgEdge offers a strategic modernization pathway for enterprises needing reliable, Kubernetes-native operations and AI-ready extensions, freeing them from vendor lock-in and high licensing costs. This integration transforms PostgreSQL into a globally distributed, cloud-native control plane for data, benefiting architects, CFOs, and developers alike.

Tech Optimizer

October 1, 2025

Postgres Professional releases DBA course in English

Postgres Professional has released the English version of the course "DBA1: Basic PostgreSQL 16 Administration," aimed at individuals with foundational knowledge of databases, SQL, and Unix-like operating systems. The course is designed for junior database administrators, application developers, system administrators, and students studying database technologies. It covers essential topics over three days, including server installation, PostgreSQL architecture, data organization, essential administration tasks, security and access control, and backup and replication. All course materials, including a student guide for setting up a virtual machine, are available for free on the Postgres Professional website.

Tech Optimizer

September 25, 2025

PostgreSQL 18 adds asynchronous I/O to improve performance

PostgreSQL 18 introduces several enhancements, including: - Asynchronous I/O for concurrent processing of multiple I/O requests, improving throughput by up to 3x. - Retention of planner statistics through major version upgrades for smoother transitions and quicker performance optimization. - PG_UNICODE_FAST collation for improved text processing and accuracy in case transformations, along with support for LIKE comparisons using nondeterministic collations. - New developer features such as virtual generated columns, temporal constraints for PRIMARY KEY and UNIQUE constraints, and the ability to create foreign table schemas mirroring local table definitions. - Performance optimizations including skip scan lookups on multicolumn B-tree indexes, indexing improvements for OR conditions in WHERE clauses, and better planning and execution of table joins. - Support for hardware acceleration with ARM NEON and SVE CPU intrinsics for the popcount function. - Additional updates include support for OAuth 2.0, enhanced logging for logical replication write conflicts, and proactive freezing of pages during vacuum processes.

Tech Optimizer

September 11, 2025

PgEdge Enterprise Postgres Now Fully Open Source And Scalable For Mission-Critical Workloads – Open Source For You

PgEdge has launched pgEdge Enterprise Postgres, a PostgreSQL distribution designed for enterprise needs, along with a transition of its distributed Postgres components to an open source licensing model. The distributed components, including Spock, Large Object Logical Replication (LOLOR), and Snowflake Sequences, are now licensed under the PostgreSQL License and available on GitHub. PgEdge Enterprise Postgres includes features such as high availability, support for PostgreSQL versions 16, 17, and 18, and enterprise-ready extensions like pgAudit and pgBackrest. Deployment options include native packages, containerization for Kubernetes and Docker, and managed services through PgEdge Cloud.

Tech Optimizer

September 11, 2025

pgEdge Unveils pgEdge Enterprise Postgres Alongside Full Commitment to Open Source

pgEdge has launched pgEdge Enterprise Postgres and transitioned all its Distributed Postgres components to an open source licensing framework under the standard PostgreSQL License. The new pgEdge Enterprise Postgres supports both distributed and non-distributed PostgreSQL applications and includes features such as high availability, support for PostgreSQL versions 16, 17, and soon 18, and enterprise-ready extensions. The product is available in VM Edition immediately and will have a Container Edition launching in Q4. It is compatible with various operating systems, with additional support services available.

Tech Optimizer

September 10, 2025

pgEdge Announces pgEdge Enterprise Postgres Alongside Full Commitment to Open Source

pgEdge has launched pgEdge Enterprise Postgres and transitioned to an open source licensing model for its distributed PostgreSQL components. The company is expanding its offerings to support both distributed and non-distributed applications based on standard PostgreSQL. Key features of pgEdge Enterprise Postgres include high availability for various workloads, support for PostgreSQL versions 16, 17, and 18, enterprise-ready extensions, management and monitoring capabilities via pgAdmin, and distributed-ready components. All Distributed Postgres components are now fully open source under the PostgreSQL License, including the Spock, LOLOR, and Snowflake extensions. pgEdge Enterprise Postgres VM Edition is available through a paid subscription, and the Enterprise Container Edition will launch in Q4. The company supports various operating systems and offers optional services, with a high Net Promoter Score from clients. pgEdge's clientele includes enterprises like Bertelsmann, Qube RT, Jobot, and the European Parliament, and it is backed by investors such as Akamai Technologies and Rally Ventures.

Tech Optimizer

September 10, 2025

pgEdge Launches Enterprise Postgres Distribution and Transitions to Full Open Source Licensing

pgEdge has launched pgEdge Enterprise Postgres, designed for enterprise-grade reliability and manageability, compatible with PostgreSQL versions 16, 17, and the upcoming version 18. Key features include high availability, comprehensive support, enterprise-ready extensions (pgAudit, pgBackrest, pgBouncer, PostGIS, pgVector), flexible management options via pgAdmin, and diverse deployment options (virtual machines, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker). Additionally, pgEdge has transitioned all its distributed Postgres components to an open source licensing model under the PostgreSQL License, including projects like the Spock multi-master logical replication extension and Large Object Logical Replication (LOLOR) extension, now available on GitHub. The pgEdge Enterprise Postgres VM Edition is available through a paid subscription, with a container edition launching in Q4. Optional services include dedicated Forward Deployed Engineer support, with a Net Promoter Score of 100 for support services.

Tech Optimizer

September 9, 2025

The Russian trace in the history of the PostgreSQL logo

The PostgreSQL logo, known as "Slonik," was proposed in 1997 by David Yang, who suggested an elephant as the mascot due to its association with reliability and memory. The logo's design evolved over time, with significant contributions from Dmitry Samersov and designer Ekaterina Papchinskaya in 1999, who created a mockup featuring an elephant in a diamond shape. This design was later refined by Daniel Lundin, resulting in the recognizable blue elephant emblem. The name "Slonik" became embedded in the PostgreSQL community, particularly after its association with the Slony-I replication system. In 2004, the community defended the logo against a similar design by PHP, ultimately retaining it. In March 2025, Dmitry transferred the rights to the Slonik design to the PostgreSQL community under a Creative Commons license, solidifying its status as a copyrighted design.