A Beginner’s Guide to PostgreSQL Features, History, and Comparison with MariaDB and MySQL
PostgreSQL (often just called "Postgres") is a powerful, free, and open-source object-relational database management system (ORDBMS).
Think of it as a traditional relational database (like a post on What is an RDBMS?) but with significant added capabilities. It's highly respected for its:
- Reliability & Stability: It's famous for its data integrity and is often the choice for mission-critical applications.
- Extensibility: You can define your own data types, functions, and indexes, tailoring the database to your needs.
- Advanced Data Types: It natively supports complex data that other databases struggle with, such as JSON/JSONB, arrays, geometric data (for maps), and key-value stores.
- Standards Compliance: It very closely follows the official SQL standards, making it predictable and powerful for complex queries.
A Brief History of Postgres 📜
PostgreSQL's origins trace back to a research project at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in the 1980s.
Founder: Professor Michael Stonebraker and his team.
Evolution:
- 1970s: Stonebraker worked on Ingres, an early relational database system.
- 1986: He started Postgres (meaning “Post-Ingres”) to add more modern features, like supporting new data types.
- 1996: SQL support was added, and the project was renamed PostgreSQL.
- Since then, it has been maintained and developed by a dedicated global open-source community.
PostgreSQL vs MySQL vs MariaDB
While all three are excellent open-source databases, they are built with different philosophies.
The main difference:
MySQL and MariaDB are pure Relational Databases (RDBMS), while PostgreSQL is an Object-Relational Database (ORDBMS).
This means PostgreSQL handles complex data and advanced queries more naturally.
| Feature | PostgreSQL | MySQL | MariaDB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Type | Object-Relational (ORDBMS) | Relational (RDBMS) | Relational (RDBMS) |
| Best For... | Complex queries, data analysis, high data integrity, and applications needing advanced data types. | Web applications, read-heavy sites (like blogs/CMS), simplicity, and ease of use. | A drop-in replacement for MySQL with better performance and more features. |
| Data Types | Very rich. Natively supports JSONB, arrays, geometric, and custom types. | Good. JSON support was added later and is generally considered less robust than in Postgres. | Similar to MySQL, but often adds new features faster. |
| Concurrency | Uses MVCC (Multiversion Concurrency Control), which allows readers and writers to work concurrently without blocking. | Uses MVCC primarily for its main storage engine (InnoDB). | Also uses MVCC (via InnoDB/XtraDB). |
| SQL Compliance | Very strict. Closely follows the SQL standard. | More flexible. Easier for beginners but can lead to data integrity issues. | Aims for high compatibility with MySQL. |
| Origin Story | Started as a university project at Berkeley. | Originally developed by MySQL AB (Sweden), now owned by Oracle. | A fork of MySQL created by its original developers to ensure it remained fully open-source after Oracle’s acquisition. |
Postgres vs. MySQL vs. MariaDB: Key Differences 🆚
While all three are excellent open-source databases, they are built with different philosophies.
The main difference:
MySQL and MariaDB are pure Relational Databases (RDBMS), while PostgreSQL is an Object-Relational Database (ORDBMS). This means Postgres handles complex data structures and queries more naturally.
Which One Should You Choose? 🚀
Ultimately, the best database depends on your project's specific needs.
- Choose PostgreSQL if your application requires complex queries, high data integrity, and support for advanced data types like JSON or geometric data. It's a powerhouse for data analysis and large-scale, serious applications.
- Choose MySQL or MariaDB if you need a reliable, fast, and straightforward database for a web application, blog, or e-commerce store. MariaDB is often preferred by those in the open-source community as a more "true-to-its-roots" version of MySQL.
Understanding the core differences between PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB is the first step to building a robust and scalable tech stack.
Visual Diagram
A simple diagram showing how MariaDB and PostgreSQL process queries internally:
