Database

PostgreSQL

The powerful, standards-compliant open-source relational database — the safe default for structured data.

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Overview

PostgreSQL ("Postgres") is a mature, open-source relational database with a reputation for correctness, standards compliance and depth of features. It offers full ACID transactions, strong SQL support, and extensions that stretch it well beyond classic relational work — JSONB documents, full-text search, geospatial data (PostGIS), and vector search for AI.

For most applications with structured, related data and a need for transactional integrity, Postgres is the sensible default. It scales impressively on a single node and has a huge, stable ecosystem.

What it is

Postgres is a relational database that stores data in typed tables with enforced constraints and relationships, queried with SQL. Its extension system means it can also do document storage (JSONB), full-text search and vector similarity without bolting on another system.

  • Full ACID transactions and strong data integrity
  • JSONB, full-text search, PostGIS, and pgvector extensions
  • Rock-solid, standards-compliant SQL

When we reach for it

When data is relational and integrity matters — orders, accounts, billing, anything where a half-written transaction is unacceptable — Postgres is our default. Its JSONB support also lets it flex when part of the model is genuinely schemaless.

Trade-offs

Relational schemas require upfront design and disciplined migrations; changing them later takes care. Horizontal scaling across many machines is more involved than with some NoSQL stores. For fast-changing, deeply nested, document-shaped data, MongoDB can be the better fit.

Common questions

PostgreSQL — questions

Straight answers on how this fits your marketing and build.

Use Postgres when data is relational and transactional integrity matters; use MongoDB when the model is document-shaped, deeply nested or fast-changing. Postgres also does JSONB, so the line is blurrier than it used to be — we choose per workload.

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