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PostgreSQL
Overview

Overview

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open-source relational database known for its robustness, extensibility, and standards compliance. It excels at handling complex queries, supporting advanced data types (JSON, arrays, ranges), and providing enterprise-grade features like full-text search, partitioning, and logical replication.

What Is PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL (often called “Postgres”) is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) that emphasizes extensibility and SQL compliance. Originally developed at UC Berkeley in 1986, it has evolved into one of the most advanced open-source databases, trusted by organizations worldwide for mission-critical applications.

Key characteristics:

  • ACID Compliance - Atomic, Consistent, Isolated, Durable transactions guarantee data integrity
  • Extensibility - Custom data types, operators, functions, and extensions (PostGIS, TimescaleDB)
  • Advanced Data Types - JSON/JSONB, arrays, ranges, geometric types, full-text search
  • Concurrency - Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC) enables high read/write throughput
  • Standards Compliance - Extensive SQL standard support with advanced features

What You’ll Learn

Through our PostgreSQL tutorials, you’ll master:

Database Fundamentals

  • SQL basics: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT
  • Data types: Numeric, text, temporal, boolean, UUID, NULL handling
  • Schema design: Tables, primary keys, foreign keys, constraints, indexes
  • Joins: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL OUTER, self joins

Production Patterns

  • Advanced queries: CTEs, window functions, recursive queries, set operations
  • Indexes: B-tree, GIN, GiST, partial, expression, covering indexes
  • Transactions: ACID properties, isolation levels, savepoints, deadlock handling
  • JSON support: JSONB operators, indexing, querying nested data

Advanced Features

  • Full-text search: tsvector, tsquery, ranking, highlighting
  • Partitioning: Range and list partitioning for scalability
  • Replication: Logical replication for high availability
  • Performance: Query optimization, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, VACUUM, statistics

Administration

  • User management: Roles, permissions, row-level security
  • Backup/restore: pg_dump, pg_restore, point-in-time recovery
  • Monitoring: pg_stat views, connection pooling, WAL tuning
  • Security: Authentication, encryption, RLS policies

Learning Paths

By-Example Tutorial (Code-First)

Learn PostgreSQL through 85 annotated SQL examples covering 95% of the database - ideal for experienced developers who prefer learning through working code rather than narrative explanations.

What you’ll get:

  • Self-contained, copy-paste-runnable examples in Docker containers
  • Heavy annotations showing query results, table states, and behaviors
  • Progressive complexity: Beginner (30 examples) → Intermediate (30 examples) → Advanced (25 examples)
  • Production-ready patterns and best practices
  • Mermaid diagrams for complex concepts

Prerequisites and Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Basic SQL knowledge (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) or willingness to learn through examples
  • Docker installed and running (for PostgreSQL container)
  • A terminal or SQL client (psql, pgAdmin, DBeaver, etc.)

No prior PostgreSQL experience required - our tutorials start from fundamentals and progress to advanced topics.

Quick Start

Get PostgreSQL running in Docker:

# Create PostgreSQL 16 container
docker run --name postgres-tutorial \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  -d postgres:16

# Connect to PostgreSQL
docker exec -it postgres-tutorial psql -U postgres

Now you’re ready to follow along with our by-example tutorials.

Why PostgreSQL

When to Choose PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL excels in scenarios requiring:

  • Complex queries and analytics - Advanced SQL features, window functions, CTEs
  • Data integrity - ACID compliance, constraints, foreign keys, transactions
  • Flexible data models - JSON/JSONB for semi-structured data alongside relational tables
  • Extensibility - Custom types, functions, operators, and rich extension ecosystem
  • Scalability - Partitioning, replication, connection pooling for large datasets
  • Open-source freedom - No licensing costs, community-driven development

PostgreSQL vs Other Databases

  • vs MySQL - PostgreSQL offers better SQL compliance, advanced features (CTEs, window functions), and extensibility
  • vs MongoDB - PostgreSQL’s JSONB provides NoSQL flexibility with ACID guarantees and SQL querying
  • vs Oracle - PostgreSQL delivers enterprise features (partitioning, replication, full-text search) without licensing costs
  • vs SQLite - PostgreSQL handles concurrent writes, network access, and production workloads better

Next Steps

Start your PostgreSQL journey:

  1. PostgreSQL By-Example Overview - Understand the by-example approach
  2. Beginner Examples - Master fundamentals (Examples 1-30)
  3. Intermediate Examples - Production patterns (Examples 31-60)
  4. Advanced Examples - Expert mastery (Examples 61-85)

Prefer narrative learning? Traditional beginner, intermediate, and advanced tutorials coming soon.

Community and Resources

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