managed services Archives

Tech Optimizer

January 3, 2026

Why AI Workloads Are Fueling a Move Back to Postgres

The database landscape has seen transformative shifts with the rise and fall of various technologies, leading to a resurgence in the adoption of PostgreSQL (Postgres) as a favored database system for modern AI applications. AI workloads have disrupted traditional managed database models, which were designed for predictable workloads, by introducing demands for high parallelism and continuous ingestion of large datasets. Engineering teams face challenges when scaling managed Postgres instances due to IOPS limits, throttling, and latency spikes. Major database vendors are emphasizing PostgreSQL compatibility, recognizing the need for a stable SQL system with strong transactional support. Despite its advantages, traditional managed database models present limitations, including reliance on network storage that introduces latency and IOPS constraints. A new model called Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) Postgres is emerging, allowing organizations to control their cloud environments while leveraging managed services, improving performance by colocating data with compute resources. Utilizing local NVMe storage with Postgres can enhance performance by reducing latency and IOPS limitations. Modern Postgres platforms facilitate efficient cloning processes that support parallel experiments in AI development, leading to shorter feedback loops and faster iteration cycles. The robust ecosystem of Postgres allows it to handle diverse workloads, streamlining data management and minimizing operational complexity. Developer velocity is a critical factor in the shift back to Postgres, as it enables rapid feedback and safe testing environments, empowering teams to innovate more effectively.

Tech Optimizer

December 18, 2025

Constructive Launches pgpm: Modular Postgres for Large-Scale Application Development

Constructive has launched pgpm, an open-source PostgreSQL package manager that enables a Modular Postgres approach, allowing teams to decompose complex databases into focused, composable modules with explicit dependencies and isolated testing. This modularity facilitates better management of application-layer SQL, enabling developers to define schemas, tables, functions, and business logic directly in SQL without the limitations of traditional PostgreSQL extensions. Key features of pgpm include separation of concerns, composable architecture, idempotent migrations, first-class CI/CD testing, npm distribution for easy installation across projects, and compatibility with native PostgreSQL extensions. The system has been successfully implemented in real-world applications, such as packaging the Supabase PostgreSQL backend as pgpm modules. Teams can quickly initialize workspaces, create modules, and deploy to PostgreSQL using a package-driven workflow.

Tech Optimizer

December 10, 2025

Postgres + ClickHouse: The OSS Stack To Handle Agentic AI Scale

Postgres is a popular choice for developers due to its flexibility and reliability, but it faces limitations as applications scale, especially in AI-driven environments where rapid growth increases the demand for analytical capabilities. To overcome these challenges, a trend has emerged to combine Postgres with ClickHouse, where Postgres handles transactional workloads and ClickHouse manages analytics. There are two main methods for integrating ClickHouse with Postgres: split or dual-write, where applications write data to both databases based on use cases, and change data capture (CDC), where all writes occur in Postgres, which serves as the source of truth, streaming changes to ClickHouse for analytical queries. The integration aims to leverage the strengths of both databases, with some queries remaining on Postgres and others transitioning to ClickHouse. Developers must identify which queries to migrate and can use foreign data wrappers (FDWs) to simplify the integration process. The ecosystem around Postgres and ClickHouse has developed into a robust stack with various open source and commercial tools to support production-scale operations, including PeerDB, which provides high-throughput PostgreSQL CDC and reliable replication into ClickHouse. As applications increasingly start with Postgres and later adopt ClickHouse, the transition timeline is shortening, indicating a shift towards managed services and deeper integrations for a seamless experience between transactional and analytical systems.

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 4, 2025

PostgreSQL as a JSON database: Advanced patterns and best practices

Modern applications require adaptable data models, particularly in e-commerce, where product catalogs frequently change. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) provides flexibility by allowing data models to evolve without rigid schemas. PostgreSQL supports JSON through two data types: JSON and JSONB. JSON stores text as-is but lacks indexing, while JSONB stores data in an optimized binary format, allowing for efficient processing and indexing. PostgreSQL is suitable for various applications, including web and mobile apps, content management systems (CMS), scientific research, geospatial applications, and those requiring advanced search features. In a CMS context, PostgreSQL's JSON capabilities can manage both structured and unstructured data, simplifying the retrieval of article information. The database structure can accommodate both structured and semi-structured data using JSONB for metadata. GIN indexing enhances performance for searching JSON fields. PostgreSQL allows for complex querying of JSON data, including full-text search and transforming JSON into tabular data using JSON_TABLE. Optimizing GIN indexes and employing strategies for efficient querying, such as using expression and partial indexes, can improve performance. PostgreSQL can integrate with Amazon OpenSearch Service for advanced search capabilities. AWS-hosted PostgreSQL services, like Amazon RDS and Aurora, provide additional benefits, such as distributed storage architecture and parallel query processing. Best practices for using PostgreSQL’s JSON capabilities include strategic data modeling, effective indexing strategies, query optimization, and considerations for schema evolution and storage management.

Winsage

October 28, 2025

Microsoft WSUS Remote Code Execution (CVE-2025-59287) Actively Exploited in the Wild

On October 14, 2025, a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, CVE-2025-59287, was discovered in Microsoft's Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). The vulnerability allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with system privileges on affected servers. It was initially addressed on October 14, but the patch was insufficient, leading to an urgent out-of-band update on October 23. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added the vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on October 24, indicating its immediate threat. The vulnerability affects Microsoft Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025, specifically on servers with the WSUS role enabled. Attackers are exploiting the vulnerability by targeting publicly exposed WSUS instances on TCP ports 8530 (HTTP) and 8531 (HTTPS). Approximately 5,500 WSUS instances have been identified as exposed to the internet. Microsoft recommends disabling the WSUS Server Role or blocking inbound traffic to the high-risk ports as temporary workarounds for organizations unable to apply the emergency patches immediately.

Tech Optimizer

October 8, 2025

How OpenAI scaled with Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Microsoft for Startups Blog

OpenAI utilizes PostgreSQL as the backbone for its essential systems, particularly in collaboration with Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Initially, OpenAI adopted a straightforward architecture with a single primary Postgres instance for write operations and multiple read-only replicas for handling read traffic. This setup allowed for exceptional scalability in read operations, but as demand increased, write requests became a bottleneck. To address scalability challenges, OpenAI implemented several strategies, including offloading write workloads, optimizing read-heavy workloads with replicas and smart query routing, and establishing schema governance for stability. These optimizations led to significant outcomes: the PostgreSQL cluster now processes millions of queries per second, has numerous global read replicas for low-latency access, and has improved database response times from approximately 50 milliseconds to under five milliseconds for many queries. OpenAI's collaboration with Azure Database for PostgreSQL facilitated ease of scaling and replication, allowing for the seamless addition of replicas and the development of features like elastic clusters and cascading read replicas. The advantages of Azure included high availability, co-innovation support, and security compliance, providing a reliable foundation for OpenAI's optimizations.

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

July 17, 2025

AWS Open-Sources pgactive PostgreSQL Extension

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched pgactive, an open-source extension for PostgreSQL that enables active-active replication, allowing databases to stream data asynchronously between instances. Announced in June 2025, pgactive was previously proprietary within AWS's Relational Database Service (RDS) and first appeared in late 2023. The extension supports conflict resolution and bidirectional data syncing, enhancing resiliency for high-availability applications. It is available under the Apache 2.0 license, encouraging community contributions and customization. Pgactive's architecture includes logical replication slots and customizable conflict handlers, essential for fault-tolerant systems. The open-source model promotes transparency and peer review, with potential integrations discussed in developer communities. The initiative aims to transform enterprise database replication and empower developers to innovate without vendor lock-in.

Tech Optimizer

July 7, 2025

Percona offers clear view into Transparent Data Encryption

Percona has launched its Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) extension for PostgreSQL, designed to secure sensitive data at rest without licensing fees or usage restrictions. TDE automatically encrypts and decrypts data at the database layer, protecting backups and transaction logs, with encryption keys stored separately. The pg_tde extension supports compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and PCI DSS v4.0, and allows users to encrypt all database files, apply encryption at the table level, and maintain control over their encryption strategies. It integrates with Key Management Services (KMS) providers and requires a patched PostgreSQL server to function. Percona aims to extend pg_tde to Community PostgreSQL, with some code already contributed for review. The extension is included in the Percona Distribution for PostgreSQL, which also offers support and consulting services for TDE setup and configuration.