This post was originally written in March 2023 and was updated in March 2025.
PostgreSQL has a reputation. It’s flexible. It’s cost-effective. It plays nicely with almost every modern stack. But once you start relying on it for enterprise workloads, you quickly realize something else: it takes work to do it right.
If you’re leading database strategy for a growing organization, you’ve probably heard PostgreSQL is a smart move. And it is. But like most smart moves, it’s not without tradeoffs. You need scale, availability, security, and support. You need to keep costs in check without giving up control. You don’t just need PostgreSQL; you need it production-ready.
Let’s break down why PostgreSQL keeps winning in the enterprise, what catches teams off guard, and how to avoid the common traps others have already hit.
PostgreSQL isn’t just popular, it’s enterprise-proven
There’s a reason PostgreSQL keeps topping developer surveys and showing up in the stacks of companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. It’s not just a community favorite—it’s a serious engine for enterprise-grade systems.
- In the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, PostgreSQL was the most commonly used database among professional developers, beating out both MySQL and SQL Server.
- Major financial institutions, e-commerce platforms, government agencies, and AI builders all run PostgreSQL in production.
- It’s at the center of AI and analytics projects thanks to support for vectors, time-series, JSONB, and PostGIS.
And unlike vendor-tied databases, PostgreSQL doesn’t limit where or how you run it. Want cloud-native? On-prem? Kubernetes? Multi-region HA? It’s all possible if you have the right setup and expertise behind it.
The features that make PostgreSQL ideal for large-scale systems
PostgreSQL has earned its place in enterprise environments by offering a rich set of features that cater to complex, large-scale systems.
- Advanced data types: Support for JSONB, arrays, and custom types allows for flexible data modeling.
- Extensibility: The ability to create custom functions and extensions means PostgreSQL can be tailored to specific needs.
- Robust performance: Features like indexing, partitioning, and parallel query execution help maintain performance at scale.
- Strong consistency: ACID compliance ensures data integrity, which is crucial for enterprise applications.
- Comprehensive tooling: A wide range of tools and extensions are available for monitoring, backup, and replication.
These capabilities make PostgreSQL a strong candidate for enterprises looking to manage complex data workloads efficiently.
But “free and flexible” doesn’t mean easy
PostgreSQL is open source, which makes it appealing. But “open source” doesn’t mean “plug and play”, especially not at scale.
What many teams don’t see coming is the gap between downloading PostgreSQL and running it confidently in a production environment. You’re suddenly on the hook for:
- Picking the right extensions (for HA, backups, observability, and more)
- Configuring them to work together without introducing risk
- Building automation and monitoring into your stack
- Ensuring compliance and security from day one
- Supporting internal teams and resolving issues quickly
There’s also the hidden cost factor. Sure, the software itself is free. But stitching together a secure, scalable, always-on environment takes time, expertise, and usually a bigger budget than expected. That’s why many teams end up reaching for “enterprise PostgreSQL” vendors only to discover they’re no longer working with true open source.
These vendors often wrap PostgreSQL in proprietary layers, making it harder to switch providers or move workloads. You’re told it’s PostgreSQL. But if you have to uninstall everything just to leave? That’s not freedom, that’s lock-in.
What enterprises need from PostgreSQL (beyond the database)
Choosing PostgreSQL is just the beginning. To run it in production at scale, enterprises need more than a database; they need the full operational stack.
Here’s what that really means:
High availability and disaster recovery: You need to be ready for failovers, node crashes, and unplanned outages. Tools like Patroni, HAProxy, and pgBouncer help, but they have to be integrated and tested for your setup.
Security and compliance: Data encryption, access controls, and audit logging aren’t optional—especially in regulated industries. Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), pgAudit, and granular role-based access must be part of the picture.
Monitoring and observability: If you can’t see what your database is doing, you can’t fix what’s wrong. Extensions like pg_stat_monitor and tools like Percona Monitoring and Management (PMM) give teams real-time visibility into performance and query behavior.
Deployment flexibility: PostgreSQL should run where your business needs it—on-prem, in the cloud, or on Kubernetes. But getting HA, backups, and performance tuning to work across those environments requires the right operator and automation.
Support that matches the scale of your systems: Once you’re in production, downtime isn’t an option. You need access to experts who understand PostgreSQL deeply, can troubleshoot fast, and won’t leave you waiting on a ticket queue.
Most of this doesn’t come out of the box. And trying to piece it together with limited internal resources can stretch your team too thin. That’s where a trusted PostgreSQL partner makes a real difference.
Why more enterprises are choosing Percona for PostgreSQL
If you want all the benefits of PostgreSQL, without the headache of building everything yourself or getting locked into a vendor, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why more teams are turning to Percona.
We give you the full PostgreSQL experience: enterprise-grade, production-ready, and fully open source.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- No lock-in, no surprises
You get real PostgreSQL; no proprietary forks, no hidden license clauses. You can leave anytime, take your data with you, and run it wherever you want. - Everything you need for production, included
Our distribution comes with integrated high availability, backups, observability, connection pooling, and security features, tested to work together out of the box. - Kubernetes and cloud-ready
Running PostgreSQL on Kubernetes? We’ve got the operator. Running in hybrid environments? Percona Everest gives you one place to manage it all, across PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. - Built for AI, analytics, and modern apps
Percona supports vector search with pgvector, geospatial data with PostGIS, time-series workloads with TimescaleDB, and large-scale sharding with Citus. - Backed by real experts
Need help? You’re talking to people who contribute to PostgreSQL and build the tools you’re using. Our team supports everything we ship, and we’re here 24/7 when you need us.
Whether you’re trying to cut database costs, avoid proprietary traps, or get serious about HA and compliance, we help you get more out of PostgreSQL.
Plan smart. Avoid common PostgreSQL pitfalls
PostgreSQL gives you the flexibility to build what your business needs, but getting that flexibility without running into performance issues, availability gaps, or cost surprises takes planning.
The truth is, many enterprise teams fall into the same traps:
- They underestimate the time it takes to build a secure, production-ready stack
- They assume community tools will “just work” together at scale
- They pick a vendor thinking it’s open source, only to discover otherwise when it’s time to move on
- They wait too long to invest in HA, backups, observability, or expert support
If you’re serious about PostgreSQL, you don’t have to repeat those mistakes. We’ve gathered hard-earned lessons from real enterprise teams so you can skip the pain and get straight to what works.
Download the Enterprise PostgreSQL Buyer’s Guide to learn what to look for in a scalable, secure, and future-ready PostgreSQL solution.
