PostgreSQL is a powerful and free open-source database system that supports both relational and object-oriented features. It is known for being reliable, flexible, and following SQL standards. Built and maintained by a large global community, PostgreSQL supports advanced features that make it more capable than many traditional databases. It uses a system called MVCC (Multi-Version Concurrency Control), which allows multiple users to work with the data at the same time without slowing things down or causing conflicts.
PostgreSQL supports many data types, such as JSON, JSONB, arrays, XML, and even user-created types, making it very useful for modern applications. One of its biggest strengths is its extensibility—developers can add new data types, operators, or functions using programming languages like PL/pgSQL, PL/Python, or PL/Perl. Extensions like PostGIS add features for geographic and spatial data, allowing PostgreSQL to act as a complete spatial database.
It is also fully ACID-compliant, meaning it handles transactions safely and reliably. It includes advanced features like savepoints, subtransactions, and point-in-time recovery (PITR). PostgreSQL’s indexing system is highly optimized with support for B-tree, Hash, GIN, GiST, and BRIN indexes, which make data searches fast even with very large datasets.
In terms of security, PostgreSQL offers role-based access control, SSL encryption, and can connect with external authentication systems such as LDAP, PAM, or Kerberos. It also supports backup and replication, allowing you to copy data between servers for safety and performance. PostgreSQL is great for analytics and reporting too, with features like window functions, recursive queries, and full-text search.
Being open-source, PostgreSQL is completely free to use, modify, and share. It runs smoothly on all major operating systems, such as Linux, Windows, and macOS, and works well with many programming languages and frameworks. Because of its performance, reliability, and active development, it’s trusted by businesses of all sizes—from small startups to large companies—for uses like web applications, data analysis, and geographic information systems.
Here is the example code to create a table,
CREATE TABLE employees (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(100),
department VARCHAR(50),
salary NUMERIC(10,2),
hired_on DATE DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE
);
After creating the table, we need to add data to the table. To insert data, we can use the code block below,
INSERT INTO employees (name, department, salary)
VALUES ('Alice', 'HR', 45000.00),
('Bob', 'IT', 60000.00);
After adding values, to show all the table values, we can use the SELECT command.
SELECT * FROM employees;
This will return all the columns in the employee table, and if you want any condition on the select query, we can use some other methods, like the ‘WHERE’ clause
SELECT name, salary FROM employees
WHERE salary > 50000;
It will return the name and salary of the employees who have a salary above 50000
If we want to change or update data in a table, we use the UPDATE command.
In the example below, we are increasing the salary of all employees in the IT department by 5%.
UPDATE employees
SET salary = salary * 1.05
WHERE department = 'IT';
Here, the UPDATE employees line will select the table we want to update. And the SET salary = salary * 1.05 increases the current salary by 5%.
So, this query changes the salary only for IT department employees.
If we want to remove or delete data from a table, we use the DELETE command.
In the example below, we are deleting the record of the employee named “Alice.”
DELETE FROM employees
WHERE name = 'Alice';
Here, DELETE FROM employees selects the table from which we want to remove data. And the WHERE name = 'Alice';
specifies which record to delete.
Conclusion:
PostgreSQL is one of the most powerful and flexible databases available today. It combines the reliability of traditional databases with the flexibility needed for modern applications. With strong community support, advanced features, and full open-source freedom, PostgreSQL remains a top choice for developers and organizations looking for a secure, scalable, and high-performance database system.
To read more about How PostgreSQL Differentiates Itself from MySQL & Other Database Systems, refer to our blog How PostgreSQL Differentiates Itself from MySQL & Other Database Systems.