What is PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is a free, relational database management system (DBMS). It is also open source, so it can be used, modified and distributed in any form. A global community of businesses and developers contribute to its development, particularly the PostgreSQL Development Group. Therefore, this software will always remain free and no company will ever be able to buy it back. The entire PostgreSQL community has actively contributed to make PostgreSQL an extremely reliable DBMS.
PostgreSQL saw the light in 1986 following the research of Professor Michael Stonebraker, as the descendant of the obsolete SGBD Ingres. Its design and development are carried out with the objective of scalability and robustness of the DBMS. Although little less known in comparison with its open source and commercial competitors, it meets the needs of several scenarios thanks to its many features. In addition, it is an economical solution in the long term because of it is total free.
Main features of PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL offers many features that developers can use to easily build error-tolerant applications and environments. Stability, high availability, and object orientation are its main characteristics. Moreover, it supports several data types from the most basic to the most complex such as strings, numbers, images, videos, network addresses, JSON inputs, and more. In addition to these data types, PostgreSQL provides the ability to define its own data types, indexes, functional languages, etc.
Compared to its competitors, PostgreSQL has the advantage of being the most (and increasingly) compliant with SQL standards. It also offers great portability, since it is compatible with Unix operating systems and since its version 8, it also works natively on Windows. In addition, it facilitates application development thanks to its compatibility with many platforms, programming languages such as Perl, Python, PHP and middleware.
Why you need to choose this DBMS?
PostgreSQL stands out from its competitors by its stability and maturity. Although the majority of web hosts do not include it in their shared hosting offers, using it on a VPS server is easy. This last point cannot be the reason for not enjoying its many advantages.
- Unlimited deployment, economical solution. PostgreSQL can be used on as many servers as you want at no extra cost, since the investment cost is zero. In addition, there is no maintenance to pay.
- Excellent support. The large PostgreSQL community provides excellent free support. Moreover, many SSLs exist and capable of providing a bespoke support contract.
- Savings on staff costs. While offering the majority of features of large commercial DBMSs and ensuring reliability and performance, this DBMS requires less maintenance and learning time. Therefore, it is very suitable for SMEs.
- Reliable and stable. Unlike many other DBMSs, PostgreSQL is very stable. It is able to run for years without crashing a single time. Several companies that use it report it. It even resists power cuts.
- Suitable for large capacities. It adapts very well to large databases and a large number of concurrent users.