PostgreSQL first, and when not
On This Lesson 4 topics
This lesson is planned. The outline below lists the topics it will cover. The full lesson has not been published yet.
In this lesson
justify a default and the conditions for leaving it.
Planned topics
- PostgreSQL handles relational data, JSON, full-text, queues, and moderate scale in one operable system.
- Leave it when the workload clearly needs: massive write throughput or horizontal scale, sub-millisecond key lookups (Redis), rich search (OpenSearch), flexible nested documents at scale (MongoDB), deep graph traversal.
- Prove it with evidence (a load test, a query plan that cannot be fixed), not fashion.
- "PostgreSQL is enough" is a valid and frequent ADR outcome.
Draft outline details
Demonstration
| Need | Choice |
|---|---|
| Orders, payments | PostgreSQL |
| Hot cache, sessions, counters | Redis |
| Full-text with facets | OpenSearch |
| Reviews at high volume, flexible shape | MongoDB, or PostgreSQL if modest |
Check your understanding
Name a signal that justifies leaving PostgreSQL.
Show answer
Measured load or query needs that tuning and scaling cannot meet.
Practice
Apply this lesson with the module's lab, exercises and quiz.
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