Azure's managed PostgreSQL. It grows by scaling up and by adding read replicas rather than multi-master writes; to spread writes horizontally you use its elastic clusters feature, based on Citus.
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In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Azure Database for PostgreSQL in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- PostgreSQL
Short for Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL, a Citus-based distributed relational service that scales writes out horizontally. New projects are steered away from it towards Azure Database for PostgreSQL elastic clusters.
- Scaling up
Growing capacity by making one server bigger, say switching a VM to a larger size that brings extra processors and RAM. The alternative, scaling out, adds more machines or partitions instead.
- CRUD
Shorthand for create, read, update and delete, the four basic things you do with data. Data-plane roles in Azure Cosmos DB, for instance, authorise those operations on items.
Related terms
- Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL
Microsoft is retiring this Citus-based distributed PostgreSQL offering and doesn't advise starting new projects on it. Its suggested homes are elastic clusters in Azure Database for PostgreSQL for relational work, or Cosmos DB for NoSQL if NoSQL suits better.
- Backup vault
Vault type in Azure Backup aimed at newer workloads, for instance managed disks, Azure Blobs, AKS and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Protecting Azure VMs, Azure Files or MARS backups requires a Recovery Services vault instead.
- DiskANN
A vector index from Microsoft Research for approximate nearest-neighbour search. Azure Cosmos DB offers it as diskANN (vectors of up to 4,096 dimensions) and Azure Database for PostgreSQL as pg_diskann, and it works best once a collection holds more than roughly 50,000 vectors.
- Flexible Server
For Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure Database for MySQL alike, the fully managed way to deploy, with fine control over settings and how the database is run.
- pgAdmin
Widely used open-source tool for administering and developing PostgreSQL. Pointed at Azure Database for PostgreSQL it can create, monitor and manage objects, although backup, restore and other server-level jobs are left to Azure.
- pgAudit
Extension for PostgreSQL that produces audit logs in Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Unlike Defender plan alerts, any alerting on its output has to be set up separately.