PostgreSQL: the leading open source relational database
Discover PostgreSQL, the reference open source database
PostgreSQL is an open source relational database management system, renowned for its robustness, SQL standards compliance and functional depth.
Web application, business back office, analytics foundation or vector search for an AI project: PostgreSQL covers all these use cases with the same engine, with no licence cost. It is one of the most widely used databases in the world, available as a managed service from every cloud provider.
PostgreSQL is built around four functional pillars:
Reliability, functional depth, extensibility and performance: the reasons behind its massive adoption.
1. Reliability: data integrity, no matter what
PostgreSQL protects your data with decades of maturity behind it.
- Guarantee data integrity with full ACID transactions
- Rely on a battle-tested engine maintained by an active worldwide community
- Secure access with fine-grained roles and privileges
- Restore your data to an exact moment with point-in-time recovery
2. Functional depth: far more than relational
PostgreSQL natively handles data that other databases delegate to third-party tools.
- Store and query JSON documents alongside your relational tables
- Add full-text search without an external engine
- Work with geospatial data through the PostGIS extension
- Write advanced analytical queries: window functions, CTEs, complex aggregations
3. Extensibility: a database that adapts to your needs
The extension system multiplies what the engine can do.
- Add vector search for your AI projects with pgvector
- Connect external sources with foreign data wrappers
- Create your own data types and functions
- Choose from a broad ecosystem of community-maintained extensions
4. Performance: ready to scale
PostgreSQL handles demanding workloads, transactional and analytical alike.
- Spread reads across replicas to absorb traffic
- Partition your large tables to keep performance steady
- Optimise every query with index types suited to each use case
- Deploy managed versions on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud to simplify operations
What about artificial intelligence?
With the pgvector extension, PostgreSQL stores embeddings and powers RAG applications without a dedicated vector database. Platforms like Supabase have made it the foundation of modern backends.
Planning a PostgreSQL project? turnK designs your data models and deploys reliable, high-performance databases. Take a look at our Data & AI services or contact us: our consultants reply within 48 hours.
Les questions les plus fréquentes
PostgreSQL is an open source relational database management system, renowned for its robustness and SQL standards compliance. It handles structured and semi-structured data (JSON) and extends through many extensions, including pgvector for AI.
Any organisation that needs a reliable database: startups, SaaS vendors, mid-market companies and large enterprises. It suits transactional applications as well as analytics foundations or AI projects requiring vector search.
ACID transactions, native JSON support, full-text search, geospatial data with PostGIS, replication and partitioning, plus an extension system including pgvector for vector search.
PostgreSQL is open source and free, with no licence cost. The budget comes down to hosting and operations; managed versions from cloud providers are billed on usage, with up-to-date pricing available on their official websites.
Yes: the pgvector extension stores embeddings and runs similarity searches, which is enough for many RAG applications without a dedicated vector database. turnK helps you decide between PostgreSQL and a specialised vector database depending on your volumes.
