logical replication Archives

Tech Optimizer

February 14, 2026

PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Which Database is Better in 2026?

PostgreSQL 17 introduces significant enhancements, including refined memory management in VACUUM processes, improved SQL/JSON capabilities with features like JSON_TABLE(), advancements in logical replication and parallel processing, and overall increased efficiency for handling complex queries and large datasets. MySQL, under Oracle's stewardship, focuses on performance, reliability, and cloud integration, with updates unveiled at the HeatWave Summit in 2025 that support both transactional and analytical workloads in a unified system, enabling real-time analytics without data transfer to separate tools.

Tech Optimizer

January 29, 2026

Aurora PostgreSQL 13 Deadline: Four Upgrade Paths to Beat February Cutoff

Standard support for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL version 13 will end on February 28, 2026. PostgreSQL 13 will be deprecated by the community in November 2025, ceasing to receive bug fixes or security patches. AWS recommends upgrading to newer versions, such as 16 or 17, which offer significant performance enhancements and improved security. PostgreSQL 17 can achieve up to twice the write throughput and consumes 20 times less memory during vacuum operations. Version 16 introduces pg_stat_io for detailed I/O statistics, while version 14 includes a vacuum emergency mode. Aurora-specific enhancements in version 14.9 and later can lead to faster query latency and reduced costs. Version 14 introduces new roles for access control, and version 15 revokes certain permissions. Major upgrades in logical replication include automatic slot synchronization in version 17 and support for parallel apply in version 16. Transitioning between major versions requires careful examination of catalog changes, as some views and configuration parameters will evolve. Extensions must be verified, as most do not auto-upgrade. An in-place major version upgrade can be performed via the AWS Console or CLI, with downtime varying based on database size. AWS recommends snapshot-based testing beforehand. The CLI command can check valid upgrade targets, leading from version 13 to 14, 15, 16, or 17. Preparation involves validating instance classes and dropping replication slots. Amazon RDS Blue/Green deployments allow for near-zero downtime by synchronizing production with a staging environment, enabling application testing before traffic switching. This feature is supported from Aurora PostgreSQL version 13.12 onward. Logical replication through pglogical offers flexibility for minimal downtime, while AWS DMS supports homogeneous migration with Change Data Capture. Extended Support is available for a fee, providing up to three years of security patches. Best practices include replicating production environments in staging, conducting load tests, and validating queries against new catalogs. Recent minor releases, including Aurora PostgreSQL 17.6 and 16.10, showcase ongoing improvements. Engaging AWS Support is advisable for complex setups to ensure seamless transitions before the deadline.

Tech Optimizer

January 28, 2026

Strategies for upgrading Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL from version 13

Standard support for PostgreSQL version 13 will end on February 28, 2026. Upgrading to newer PostgreSQL versions can enhance database performance and introduce new features. Notable enhancements in recent versions include: - Vacuum emergency mode (v14+) to manage old row versions. - Improved I/O performance (v17) with better write throughput. - Enhanced query optimization (v17+) for IN clauses and parallel BRIN index builds. - Memory efficiency improvements (v17) reducing vacuum memory usage. - Advanced monitoring features like pg_stat_io (v16+) and pg_wait_events (v17+). - Logical replication improvements such as failover support and slot migration (v17+). - Developer experience enhancements including JSONB subscripting (v14+) and SQL/JSON JSON_TABLE (v17+). - Security enhancements with new roles for access control (v14+) and maintenance tasks (v17+). For Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible, upgrading to versions v14.9+, v15.4+, v16.1+, and higher can yield performance optimizations, including faster query latency and cost savings. Changes in system catalog views and configuration parameters have occurred in PostgreSQL versions 14 to 17, impacting application compatibility. Upgrade strategies include in-place upgrades, blue/green deployments, logical replication, and using AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS). If an immediate upgrade is not possible, Amazon RDS Extended Support offers up to three years of continued security patches and bug fixes beyond the standard support end date.

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.