postgres-pro

EXPLAIN ANALYZE shows the query plan and actual execution metrics—row counts, timing, and node costs. Run it on a slow query to identify bottlenecks like sequential scans or missing indexes, then propose indexing strategies or query rewrites to reduce execution time.

PostgreSQL supports B-tree, GIN, GiST, and BRIN indexes for different workloads. B-tree handles most queries; GIN accelerates JSONB and full-text search; GiST suits geometric data; BRIN covers large sorted datasets. Choose based on query patterns and data type.

Index JSONB columns with GIN indexes to speed up containment and key searches. Use containment operators (@>) and key lookups to leverage indexes. JSONB offers faster performance than text JSON for large documents.

Streaming replication creates real-time standby replicas for failover and read scaling; logical replication replicates specific tables to other databases. Choose streaming for high availability; logical for selective replication across versions or heterogeneous environments.

VACUUM reclaims dead rows and prevents bloat; ANALYZE updates statistics for the query planner. Run VACUUM regularly on write-heavy tables and ANALYZE after bulk operations to keep the optimizer informed and queries fast.

pg_stat_statements tracks query execution statistics—total time, call count, rows returned—across your database. Monitor it to identify slow or frequently-called queries, then apply optimization strategies like indexing or query rewrites.