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Chapter 2 Postgresql

PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database management system developed by a community and available in various variants. Identifying the specific variant of PostgreSQL can be challenging, but the version() function and certain version number formats can provide clues. Additionally, the presence of specific extensions may indicate the variant being used.

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3 views1 page

Chapter 2 Postgresql

PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database management system developed by a community and available in various variants. Identifying the specific variant of PostgreSQL can be challenging, but the version() function and certain version number formats can provide clues. Additionally, the presence of specific extensions may indicate the variant being used.

Uploaded by

Sagar Ch
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© All Rights Reserved
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Exploring the Database Chapter 2

[ 46 ]
What type of server is this?
PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database management system
(ORDBMS) distributed under a very permissive license, and developed by an active
community.
There are a number of PostgreSQL-related services and software (https:/ / wiki.
postgresql. org/ wiki/ PostgreSQL_ derived_ databases), either open source or not,
that are
provided by other software companies. Here, we discuss how to recognize which one
you
are using.
It is not so easy to detect the variant of PostgreSQL from the name; many of the
products
and services involving PostgreSQL include the word Postgres or PostgreSQL.
However, if you need to check the documentation, or to buy services such as support
and
consulting, you need to find out exactly what type your server is, as the available
options
will vary.
If you are paying a license fee or a cloud service subscription, you will already
know the
name of the company you are paying, and of the specific variant of PostgreSQL you
are
subscribed to. But, it’s not rare to have multiple servers of different types, so
it is still useful
to be able to tell them apart.
How to do it…
Unfortunately, there isn't a single function or parameter that works on each
variant of
PostgreSQL and at the same time is able to answer that question. The closest you
can get is
the version() function that is used in the next recipe, What version is the
server?, which
returns a textual description of the version you are running, including (but not
limited to)
the version number.
In some cases, this is enough, but otherwise, you have to determine the specific
version
from other clues, such as the following:
The version number for stable releases of community PostgreSQL is either X.Y
(with X=10 or above) or X.Y.Z (up to X=9). An extra number usually indicates
that you are running a variant of PostgreSQL.
The presence of certain objects that are available only on a specific variant, for
instance an extension. More details on how to work with extensions can be found
in the Listing extensions in this database recipe in this chapter.

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