PostgreSQL Mage
Ruohang Feng @Vonng / Pigsty
PostgreSQL ecosystem news, plus development, operations, internals and tuning.
Happy 30th Birthday, PostgreSQL
On July 8, 1996, the PostgreSQL community picked up the flame from Postgres95. Thirty years later, it has grown from a Berkeley research project into a default foundation of the global database …
Instantly Clone PostgreSQL Databases—No Black Magic Required
Pig v1.5 adds pig pg clone and pig pg fork, wrapping PostgreSQL 18's instant cloning capabilities in an agent-native CLI.
What Is a PostgreSQL Distribution?
Starting with Linux distributions, this essay explains what a “PostgreSQL distribution” actually is: three layers, two paths, and one core idea.
Extensions for Everyone
A field report on the PostgreSQL extension ecosystem: 1,617 discovered projects, 511 deliverable extensions, and the shared delivery layer needed to make extensibility work for users, authors, …
PGConf.Dev 2026 Opens Today in Vancouver
PGConf.Dev 2026 opens in Vancouver as the PostgreSQL project marks its 30th anniversary. I will also be speaking on Extensions for Everyone.
The pgBackRest Rescue and Open Source's Forced Price Discovery
Seven days after pgBackRest was archived, David Steele said a coalition of sponsors was nearly in place and the project would probably live on. This was not just a heartwarming community story. It was …
pgBackRest is No Longer Maintained
Its maintainer, under pressure to make a living, has formally archived pgBackRest, the PostgreSQL ecosystem's most important backup tool. The entire PostgreSQL community needs to think seriously about …
504 Extensions: Expand the PostgreSQL Landscape
One GitHub issue turned into an extension sprint. 32 new additions, 504 in total, say a lot about where PostgreSQL is headed.
PostgreSQL vs. MySQL in 2026
By 2026, PostgreSQL has won the market for new database adoption, outperforming MySQL across developer adoption, vendor strategy, capital markets, and community governance. MySQL still owns the …
Is Oracle-Compatible Postgres Actually Useful?
A migration case with only a JAR and no source code shows why Oracle syntax compatibility is not always a fake requirement, and how IvorySQL + Pigsty can absorb legacy debt at low cost.
Urgent Advisory: Pause PostgreSQL Minor-Release Installs and Upgrades
The PostgreSQL 18.2 minor-release train introduced regressions in substring() and WAL replay. Hold off on fresh deployments and upgrades, then update promptly after the out-of-cycle releases ship on …
From AGPL to Apache: Why I Changed Pigsty's License
Pigsty switched from AGPLv3 to Apache 2.0. Aren't you worried about freeloaders? Freeloaders welcome — if you want to become the Debian of databases, a permissive license is table stakes.
How to Actually Do PostgreSQL High Availability
A deep dive into the SOTA approach for PostgreSQL HA. RTO/RPO breakdown, from theory to production. If you're still wrestling with PG HA, this might save you years.
Git for Data: Instant PostgreSQL Database Cloning
How to instantly clone a massive PostgreSQL database without consuming extra storage? PostgreSQL 18 and XFS can spark some serious magic.
Why PostgreSQL Will Dominate the AI Era
Context window economics, the polyglot persistence problem, and the triumph of zero-glue architecture make PostgreSQL the database king of the AI era.
Forging a China-Rooted, Global PostgreSQL Distro
PostgreSQL already won. The real battle is the distro layer. Will Chinese developers watch from the sideline or craft a PG “Ubuntu” for the world?
PG Extension Cloud: Unlocking PostgreSQL’s Entire Ecosystem
Free, open, no VPN. Install PostgreSQL and 431 extensions on 14 Linux distros × 6 PG versions via native RPM/DEB—and a tiny CLI.
The PostgreSQL 'Supply Cut' and Trust Issues in Software Supply Chain
PostgreSQL official repos cut off global mirror sync channels, open-source binaries supply disrupted, revealing the true colors of various database and cloud vendors.
Column: Postgres Mage
Navigation of articles about PostgreSQL development, administration, principles, ecosystem, tools, architecture design, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and more.
PostgreSQL Dominates Database World, but Who Will Devour PG?
The same forces that once led MongoDB and MySQL toward closure are now at work in the PostgreSQL ecosystem. The PG world needs a distribution that represents "software freedom" values.
PostgreSQL Has Dominated the Database World
The 2025 SO global developer survey results are fresh out, and PostgreSQL has become the most popular, most loved, and most wanted database for the third consecutive year. Nothing can stop PostgreSQL …
PGDG Cuts Off Mirror Sync Channel
PGDG cuts off FTP rsync sync channels, global mirror sites universally disconnected - this time they really strangled global users' supply chain.
Postgres Extension Day - See You There!
The annual PostgreSQL developer conference will be held in Montreal in May. Like the first PG Con.Dev, there's also an additional dedicated event - Postgres Extensions Day
OrioleDB is Coming! 4x Performance, Eliminates Pain Points, Storage-Compute Separation
A PG kernel fork acquired by Supabase, claiming to solve PG's XID wraparound problem, eliminate table bloat issues, improve performance by 4x, and support cloud-native storage. Now part of the Pigsty …
Happy 30th Birthday, PostgreSQL
Today, July 8, 2026, is PostgreSQL’s 30th birthday. Thirty years ago, Marc Fournier made a commit named “Postgres95 1.01 Distribution - Virgin Sources” into a newly created CVS repository. It was the first commit in the PostgreSQL codebase (d31084e), …
Today, July 8, 2026, is PostgreSQL’s 30th birthday. Thirty years ago, Marc Fournier made a commit named “Postgres95 1.01 Distribution - Virgin Sources” into a newly created CVS repository. It was the first commit in the PostgreSQL codebase (d31084e), …
Instantly Clone PostgreSQL Databases—No Black Magic Required
Six months ago, on January 8, 2026, I wrote Git for Data: Instant PostgreSQL Database and Instance Cloning, introducing a new feature in PostgreSQL 18 and Pigsty v4.0: instant database cloning. With filesystem copy-on-write (CoW) and PostgreSQL 18’s …
Six months ago, on January 8, 2026, I wrote Git for Data: Instant PostgreSQL Database and Instance Cloning, introducing a new feature in PostgreSQL 18 and Pigsty v4.0: instant database cloning. With filesystem copy-on-write (CoW) and PostgreSQL 18’s …
What Is a PostgreSQL Distribution?
People often ask me: what exactly is Pigsty? My usual answer is: a PostgreSQL distribution. The next question is usually: what, then, is a “PostgreSQL distribution”? That is a good question. And the best place to begin is not databases, but operating …
People often ask me: what exactly is Pigsty? My usual answer is: a PostgreSQL distribution. The next question is usually: what, then, is a “PostgreSQL distribution”? That is a good question. And the best place to begin is not databases, but operating …
Extensions for Everyone
Slide deck: Extensions for Everyone Part I. Introduction 0. Extensions for Everyone 00. Extensions for Everyone Hi everyone. This talk is called Extensions for Everyone. It is about delivering PostgreSQL extensions, and about how a shared delivery …
Slide deck: Extensions for Everyone Part I. Introduction 0. Extensions for Everyone 00. Extensions for Everyone Hi everyone. This talk is called Extensions for Everyone. It is about delivering PostgreSQL extensions, and about how a shared delivery …
PGConf.Dev 2026 Opens Today in Vancouver
On May 19, Vancouver time, PGConf.Dev 2026 officially gets underway. This year’s venue is Simon Fraser University’s downtown campus, SFU Vancouver Harbour Centre. The conference has returned to Vancouver, host city of the inaugural PGConf.Dev. …
On May 19, Vancouver time, PGConf.Dev 2026 officially gets underway. This year’s venue is Simon Fraser University’s downtown campus, SFU Vancouver Harbour Centre. The conference has returned to Vancouver, host city of the inaugural PGConf.Dev. …
The pgBackRest Rescue and Open Source's Forced Price Discovery
A few days ago, pgBackRest, the PostgreSQL ecosystem’s leading open-source backup tool, was archived. Pigsty uses pgBackRest too, but I was not especially worried. A component this important was never going to be allowed to die for real—not by the …
A few days ago, pgBackRest, the PostgreSQL ecosystem’s leading open-source backup tool, was archived. Pigsty uses pgBackRest too, but I was not especially worried. A component this important was never going to be allowed to die for real—not by the …
pgBackRest is No Longer Maintained
On April 27, David Steele formally archived pgBackRest, the most important backup tool in the PostgreSQL ecosystem. The announcement appeared on GitHub and LinkedIn. It was brief and direct: The End-of-Maintenance Announcement TL;DR: pgBackRest is no …
On April 27, David Steele formally archived pgBackRest, the most important backup tool in the PostgreSQL ecosystem. The announcement appeared on GitHub and LinkedIn. It was brief and direct: The End-of-Maintenance Announcement TL;DR: pgBackRest is no …
504 Extensions: Expand the PostgreSQL Landscape
A GitHub issue turned into an extension sprint. 32 new additions say a lot about where PostgreSQL is headed. It Started with a Chemistry Extension Two days ago, a user opened a GitHub issue: he was using RDKit, the de facto standard library in …
A GitHub issue turned into an extension sprint. 32 new additions say a lot about where PostgreSQL is headed. It Started with a Chemistry Extension Two days ago, a user opened a GitHub issue: he was using RDKit, the de facto standard library in …
PostgreSQL vs. MySQL in 2026
PostgreSQL has won the market for new database deployments, and its installed base is now comparable to MySQL’s. With one rising and the other declining, there is little suspense left in the contest for the database kernel of the future. I. Developer …
PostgreSQL has won the market for new database deployments, and its installed base is now comparable to MySQL’s. With one rising and the other declining, there is little suspense left in the contest for the database kernel of the future. I. Developer …
Is Oracle-Compatible Postgres Actually Useful?
I used to roll my eyes at “Oracle compatibility” in PostgreSQL forks. My take was simple: if your SQL doesn’t run on vanilla Postgres, fix your app rather than database. Then a migration task slightly changed my mind. The Problem: A JAR and Nothing …
I used to roll my eyes at “Oracle compatibility” in PostgreSQL forks. My take was simple: if your SQL doesn’t run on vanilla Postgres, fix your app rather than database. Then a migration task slightly changed my mind. The Problem: A JAR and Nothing …
Urgent Advisory: Pause PostgreSQL Minor-Release Installs and Upgrades
The 18.2 minor-release train introduced two bugs. Hold off on fresh deployments and upgrades, then update promptly after 18.3 ships next week. One week ago, the PostgreSQL community shipped its routine February minor releases, and Pigsty v4.1 …
The 18.2 minor-release train introduced two bugs. Hold off on fresh deployments and upgrades, then update promptly after 18.3 ships next week. One week ago, the PostgreSQL community shipped its routine February minor releases, and Pigsty v4.1 …
From AGPL to Apache: Why I Changed Pigsty's License
Pigsty is a batteries-included, local-first PostgreSQL distribution. With the v4.0 release, I finally did something I’d been considering for a while: switching from AGPLv3 back to Apache 2.0. Here’s why I changed it, what it means, and my take on …
Pigsty is a batteries-included, local-first PostgreSQL distribution. With the v4.0 release, I finally did something I’d been considering for a while: switching from AGPLv3 back to Apache 2.0. Here’s why I changed it, what it means, and my take on …
How to Actually Do PostgreSQL High Availability
Seven or eight years ago, I was managing a hundred large-scale PostgreSQL clusters across 200+ beefy bare-metal servers, and I started evaluating HA solutions. I went through every option with a name: Patroni, Corosync + Pacemaker, repmgr, Stolon, …
Seven or eight years ago, I was managing a hundred large-scale PostgreSQL clusters across 200+ beefy bare-metal servers, and I started evaluating HA solutions. I went through every option with a name: Patroni, Corosync + Pacemaker, repmgr, Stolon, …
Git for Data: Instant PostgreSQL Database Cloning
Every programmer has used git clone. Hit enter, wait a few seconds, and a complete code repository appears on your disk. But what about databases? Want a copy of production data for your test environment? The traditional approach is pg_dump + …
Every programmer has used git clone. Hit enter, wait a few seconds, and a complete code repository appears on your disk. But what about databases? Want a copy of production data for your test environment? The traditional approach is pg_dump + …
Why PostgreSQL Will Dominate the AI Era
In the Agent era, the underlying logic of software architecture has changed. Over the past decade, we’ve built microservices and “polyglot persistence” to accommodate the collaboration boundaries of human teams, fragmenting our systems into scattered …
In the Agent era, the underlying logic of software architecture has changed. Over the past decade, we’ve built microservices and “polyglot persistence” to accommodate the collaboration boundaries of human teams, fragmenting our systems into scattered …
Forging a China-Rooted, Global PostgreSQL Distro
Hi, I’m Feng Ruohang, author of Pigsty and an independent open-source contributor. Let’s talk about how to build a PostgreSQL distribution that is rooted in China and useful to the whole world. The question isn’t whether PG will win—it already has. …
Hi, I’m Feng Ruohang, author of Pigsty and an independent open-source contributor. Let’s talk about how to build a PostgreSQL distribution that is rooted in China and useful to the whole world. The question isn’t whether PG will win—it already has. …
PG Extension Cloud: Unlocking PostgreSQL’s Entire Ecosystem
WeChat link PostgreSQL’s killer feature is extensibility. PostGIS, pgvector, pg_duckdb, pg_search—extensions turn PG into GIS engine, vector DB, analytics warehouse, search cluster. But compiling and shipping them reliably across distros is a …
WeChat link PostgreSQL’s killer feature is extensibility. PostGIS, pgvector, pg_duckdb, pg_search—extensions turn PG into GIS engine, vector DB, analytics warehouse, search cluster. But compiling and shipping them reliably across distros is a …
The PostgreSQL 'Supply Cut' and Trust Issues in Software Supply Chain
This month saw a high-profile “open source supply cut” incident — KubeSphere deleting images and running away, but there’s another slightly more subtle “chokepoint case” I mentioned last month — “Chokepoint: PGDG Cuts Mirror Sync Channels”. This …
This month saw a high-profile “open source supply cut” incident — KubeSphere deleting images and running away, but there’s another slightly more subtle “chokepoint case” I mentioned last month — “Chokepoint: PGDG Cuts Mirror Sync Channels”. This …
Column: Postgres Mage
Ecosystem PGEXT.DAY 2025, See You There OrioleDB Is Coming! OpenHalo: MySQL-Compatible PG PGFS: Database as Filesystem PostgreSQL Ecosystem Frontier Progress Pig on Elephant: PG Package Manager Pig Release Day Halt: PG Also Can’t Escape Major …
Ecosystem PGEXT.DAY 2025, See You There OrioleDB Is Coming! OpenHalo: MySQL-Compatible PG PGFS: Database as Filesystem PostgreSQL Ecosystem Frontier Progress Pig on Elephant: PG Package Manager Pig Release Day Halt: PG Also Can’t Escape Major …
PostgreSQL Dominates Database World, but Who Will Devour PG?
Percona is a banner-bearer and major third-party vendor in the MySQL ecosystem, and has been advancing into the PostgreSQL space in recent years. The English original of this article was published on the Percona blog this morning. Of course, Percona …
Percona is a banner-bearer and major third-party vendor in the MySQL ecosystem, and has been advancing into the PostgreSQL space in recent years. The English original of this article was published on the Percona blog this morning. Of course, Percona …
PostgreSQL Has Dominated the Database World
The 2025 StackOverflow Global Developer Survey results are fresh out, with high-quality questionnaire feedback from 50,000 developers across 177 countries and regions. As a database veteran, I’m most interested in the “Database” section of this …
The 2025 StackOverflow Global Developer Survey results are fresh out, with high-quality questionnaire feedback from 50,000 developers across 177 countries and regions. As a database veteran, I’m most interested in the “Database” section of this …
PGDG Cuts Off Mirror Sync Channel
Recently, while building Pigsty offline packages, I discovered that the PostgreSQL version installed during local testing wasn’t quite right - 17.4 was behind the latest 17.5 by one minor version. Also, when testing on EL10, I found several …
Recently, while building Pigsty offline packages, I discovered that the PostgreSQL version installed during local testing wasn’t quite right - 17.4 was behind the latest 17.5 by one minor version. Also, when testing on EL10, I found several …
Postgres Extension Day - See You There!
The annual PostgreSQL developer conference will be held in Montreal in May. Like the first PG Con.Dev, there’s also an additional dedicated event - Postgres Extensions Day, focusing on all aspects of PG extension development, delivery, and release. …
The annual PostgreSQL developer conference will be held in Montreal in May. Like the first PG Con.Dev, there’s also an additional dedicated event - Postgres Extensions Day, focusing on all aspects of PG extension development, delivery, and release. …
OrioleDB is Coming! 4x Performance, Eliminates Pain Points, Storage-Compute Separation
OrioleDB, which sounds interesting - though “Oriole” means a type of bird (黄鹂 in Chinese), so it should actually be translated as “Oriole Database” rather than “Cookie Database” or “Bird Database”. The name doesn’t matter much; what’s important is …
OrioleDB, which sounds interesting - though “Oriole” means a type of bird (黄鹂 in Chinese), so it should actually be translated as “Oriole Database” rather than “Cookie Database” or “Bird Database”. The name doesn’t matter much; what’s important is …