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PostgreSQL is a powerful, open-source object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) with over 35 years of active development. It is renowned for its standards compliance, extensibility, and robustness, making it a top choice for production applications ranging from small web apps to massive data warehouses.
PostgreSQL traces its roots to the POSTGRES project at the University of California, Berkeley, started by Michael Stonebraker in 1986. The project added SQL support in 1994 and was released as PostgreSQL 6.0 in 1996. Today it is maintained by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group, a diverse community of volunteers and companies worldwide.
PostgreSQL is fully ACID-compliant, meaning it guarantees Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability for all transactions. This makes it safe for financial systems, healthcare records, and any application where data integrity is non-negotiable.
It supports a rich set of data types far beyond the SQL standard, including arrays, JSON/JSONB, hstore (key-value), geometric types, network address types, and user-defined types. You can also write stored procedures in multiple languages: PL/pgSQL, PL/Python, PL/Perl, and more.
PostgreSQL uses Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC) to handle concurrent reads and writes efficiently. Readers never block writers, and writers never block readers, which enables high throughput in mixed workloads.
| Feature | PostgreSQL | MySQL | SQLite |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACID compliance | Full | Depends on engine | Full |
| JSON support | JSONB (indexed) | JSON | Limited |
| Extensibility | Very high | Moderate | Low |
| Concurrency model | MVCC | MVCC | File locking |
| Use case | General purpose, analytics | Web apps | Embedded |
PostgreSQL is a strong default choice because it handles both transactional (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads, supports advanced indexing strategies, and integrates well with every major programming language through mature client libraries. Cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure all offer managed PostgreSQL services, making it easy to deploy and scale.
Its permissive open-source licence (the PostgreSQL Licence, similar to MIT) allows use in both open-source and commercial products without restrictions.
Understanding what PostgreSQL is and why it is widely trusted sets the foundation for everything that follows. In the next lesson you will install PostgreSQL on your local machine.