It's 2026, Just Use Postgres • Hacker News Board

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#301

Post by the_arun » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC

TheRealPomax wrote: post #150

the_arun wrote: post #149

I am looking for a db that runs using existing json/yaml/csv files, saves data back to those files in a directory, which I can sync using Dropbox or whatever shared storage. Now I can run this db wherever I am & run the application. Postgres feels a bit more for my needs

Why? Why would separate json/yaml/csv files be better than just... syncing using postgres itself? You point `psql` to the host you need, because clearly you have internet access even on the go, and done: you don't need to sync anything, you already have remote access to the database?

I have internet doesn’t mean I have access to DB. For eg. I don’t want to open my DB for public access.

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#302

Post by gherkinnn » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 7:08 AM UTC

ablob wrote: post #70

I really wonder how "It's year X" could establish itself as an argument this popular.

I remember $CURRENT_YEAR taking off around 2016 where it was used in the innocent days of the culture wars alongside terms like "dongle" and "shitlord".

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#303

Post by hnarn » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 7:55 AM UTC

I’m going to be that guy and point out that in my opinion, this article stinks of LLM. For example, this header and introductory sentence:

> Why This Matters Now: The AI Era

> This isn’t just about simplicity. AI agents have made database sprawl a nightmare.

or:

> “But Specialized Databases Are Better!”

> Let’s address this head-on.

I agree with your point, Raja, but if I wanted an LLMs take on it, I’d ask an LLM.

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#304

Post by tpm » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 8:57 AM UTC

chasil wrote: post #260

vagab0nd wrote: post #155

I recently started digging into databases for the first time since college, and from a novice's perspective, postgres is absolutely magical. You can throw in 10M+ rows across twenty columns, spread over five tables, add some indices, and get sub-100ms queries for virtually anything you want. If something doesn't work, you just ask it for an analysis and immediately know what index to add or how to fix your query. It…

I am a DBA for Oracle databases, and XE can be used for free. It has the reference SQL/PSM implementation in PL/SQL. I know how to set up a physical standby, and otherwise I know how to run it. That being said, Oracle Database SE2 is $17,500 per core pair on x86, and Enterprise is $47,500 per core pair. XE has hard limits on size and limits on active CPUs. XE also does not get patches; if there is a critical vulnerab…

> XE can be used for free

> XE has hard limits on size and limits on active CPUs

So no, it can't be used for free, you will pay for that with your time to keep it in usable state. We had to use it as our dev dbs because our customers used it and the size limit was a huge PITA. We mostly use MSSQL as dev db now because the other half of customers use that (we have to support both in the end) and it is way worse in every other way but there is no size limit for dev use.

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#305

Post by L0Wigh » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 9:12 AM UTC

asdev wrote: post #2

probably not many Firebase users here but I love Firebase's Firestore

I first used Firebase/Firestore recently at work, and I was kind of surprised on how it's easy to use. Not my first time with NoSQL databases, but was impressed still

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#306

Post by icefo » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 9:50 AM UTC

EvanAnderson wrote: post #27

lucas1068 wrote: post #8

I've found that Postgres consumes (by default) more disk than, for example, MySQL. And the difference is quite significant. That means more money that I have to pay every month. But, sure Postgres seems like I system that integrates a lot of subsystems, that adds a lot of complexity too. I'm just marking the bad points because you mention the good points in the post. You're also trying to sell you service, which is g…

Some people do Postgres on compressed ZFS volumes to great success.

That's something I did for small medium size data analysis (300Gb of csv). The reported size was around 800gb with indexes iirc and it fitted on a 512gb SSD.

It compresses the indexes pretty well but don't forget to turn off postgres' own copy on write mechanism

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#307

Post by oulipo2 » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 9:52 AM UTC

asdev wrote: post #29

oulipo2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very bad to search stuff, or have structured database, also it costs a lot

its dirt cheap and you can do basic search

It's not cheap at all once you scale

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#308

Post by johnwatson11218 » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 1:12 PM UTC

I'm using postgres as part of my current project - https://github.com/johnwatson11218/LatentTopicExplorer

I had added Spacey to my codebase for one of its features and found that just doing the work in the db was near instant and my containers would not run out of ram. I want to get back to Spacey for more involved nlp work but right now the db "just works". I think Oracle is nicer but postgres does what I need for a lot less money!

https://github.com/johnwatson11218/LatentTopicExplorer/commi...

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#309

Post by chasil » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

tpm wrote: post #304

chasil wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a DBA for Oracle databases, and XE can be used for free. It has the reference SQL/PSM implementation in PL/SQL. I know how to set up a physical standby, and otherwise I know how to run it. That being said, Oracle Database SE2 is $17,500 per core pair on x86, and Enterprise is $47,500 per core pair. XE has hard limits on size and limits on active CPUs. XE also does not get patches; if there is a critical vulnerab…

> XE can be used for free > XE has hard limits on size and limits on active CPUs So no, it can't be used for free, you will pay for that with your time to keep it in usable state. We had to use it as our dev dbs because our customers used it and the size limit was a huge PITA. We mostly use MSSQL as dev db now because the other half of customers use that (we have to support both in the end) and it is way worse in eve…

You can configure client ODBC in the listener.ora, then use database links to access outside sources.

Here is how I did it with SQLite, which was problematic with anything but basic types.

https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/sqlite-extraction-oracl...

Re: It's 2026, Just Use Postgres

#310

Post by jakubmazanec » Fri, Feb 06, 2026, 1:25 PM UTC

jongjong wrote: post #159

saisrirampur wrote: post #55

I’m a huge Postgres fan. That said, I don’t agree with the blanket advice of “just use Postgres.” That stance often comes from folks who haven’t been exposed enough to (newer) purpose-built technologies and the tremendous value they can create The argument, as in this blog, is that a single Postgres stack is simpler and reduces complexity. What’s often overlooked is the CAPEX and OPEX required to make Postgres work w…

I hate how developers are often very skeptical but all the skepticism goes out the window if the tech is sufficiently hyped up. And TBH, developers are pretty dumb not to realize that the tech tools monoculture is a way for business folks to make us easily replaceable... If all companies use the same tech, it turns us into exchangeable commodities which can easily be replaced and sourced across different organization…

> Look at the typical React dev. They have zero leverage and can be replaced by vibe coding kiddies straight out of school or sourced from literally any company on earth.

Good luck maintaining such code. As we know from constant whining here on HN ("Hooks are too complicated..." "I don't understand useEffect"), React's model feels slightly more complex than other frameworks' models.

I can even argue that the more popular React is, the more React developers are needed.