Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PostgreSQL VS pghoard

Compare PostgreSQL VS pghoard and see what are their differences

PostgreSQL logo PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system.

pghoard logo pghoard

Tools for making PostgreSQL backups to cloud object storages
  • PostgreSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • pghoard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-03

PostgreSQL features and specs

  • Open Source
    PostgreSQL is an open-source database management system, which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. This reduces the cost of database management for individuals and organizations.
  • ACID Compliance
    PostgreSQL is fully ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliant, ensuring reliable transactions and data integrity.
  • Extensible
    PostgreSQL is highly extensible, allowing users to add custom functions, data types, and operators. This enables tailored solutions to specific requirements.
  • Advanced SQL Features
    PostgreSQL supports advanced SQL features like full-text search, JSON and XML data types, and complex queries, providing powerful tools for database operations.
  • Community Support
    There is a strong and active community around PostgreSQL, offering extensive documentation, forums, and collaborative support, which aids troubleshooting and development.
  • Multiple Indexing Techniques
    PostgreSQL offers a variety of indexing techniques such as B-tree, GIN, GiST, and BRIN, allowing for optimized query performance on various data types.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    PostgreSQL runs on all major operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Unix), giving flexibility in deployment and development environments.

Possible disadvantages of PostgreSQL

  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and configuring PostgreSQL can be complex and time-consuming, especially for beginners, requiring a good understanding of its parameters and best practices.
  • Heavy Resource Consumption
    PostgreSQL can be resource-intensive, consuming significant CPU and memory compared to other database systems, which may affect performance on lower-end hardware.
  • Backup and Restore Process
    The backup and restore process in PostgreSQL is not as straightforward as in some other database systems, requiring more manual intervention and understanding of tools like pg_dump and pg_restore.
  • Replication Complexity
    While PostgreSQL supports replication, setting it up can be more complex than some other databases. Advanced configurations like multi-master replication can be particularly challenging.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its advanced features and extensive capabilities, PostgreSQL can have a steeper learning curve, making it harder for new users to get started compared to simpler database systems.
  • Less Third-Party Tool Support
    PostgreSQL has less support from third-party tools compared to more widely adopted databases like MySQL, which can limit options for auxiliary functions like administration, monitoring, and development.

pghoard features and specs

  • Multi-cloud object storage support
    pghoard supports backing up to multiple cloud storage providers including AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Swift, and local filesystem, giving flexibility in choosing or switching backup destinations.
  • Streaming WAL archiving and compression
    It supports continuous WAL streaming and archiving with built-in compression (using algorithms like Snappy, LZMA, or zstd) and encryption, reducing storage costs and improving backup transfer efficiency.
  • Point-in-time recovery (PITR)
    pghoard enables point-in-time recovery by combining base backups with WAL segments, allowing restoration of a PostgreSQL database to any specific moment, which is critical for disaster recovery scenarios.
  • Open source and actively maintained by Aiven
    Being maintained by Aiven, a company specializing in managed database services, pghoard benefits from real-world production use, ongoing updates, and community contributions, ensuring reliability and continued support.
  • REST API and monitoring integration
    It provides a REST API for managing and monitoring backup operations, and can integrate with monitoring systems, making it easier to automate backup workflows and track backup health in production environments.

Possible disadvantages of pghoard

  • PostgreSQL-specific tool
    pghoard is designed exclusively for PostgreSQL, so organizations using multiple database systems would need separate backup solutions for other databases, increasing operational complexity.
  • Complex initial setup and configuration
    Setting up pghoard requires careful configuration of cloud storage credentials, encryption keys, and WAL-G-like settings, which can be complex for users unfamiliar with PostgreSQL internals or cloud storage APIs.
  • Limited GUI or dashboard
    pghoard primarily operates via command-line and configuration files with a basic REST API, lacking a polished web-based dashboard for easier visualization and management compared to some commercial backup solutions.
  • Documentation gaps for edge cases
    While basic documentation exists, users have reported that some advanced use cases, troubleshooting steps, and edge-case scenarios are not thoroughly documented, requiring deeper investigation into the source code.
  • Smaller community compared to alternatives
    Compared to more widely adopted tools like pgBackRest or Barman, pghoard has a smaller user community and fewer third-party resources, tutorials, or plugins, which may limit support options for troubleshooting.

Analysis of PostgreSQL

Overall verdict

  • Yes, PostgreSQL is considered a high-quality and reliable database management system, suitable for a wide range of applications, from small-scale personal projects to large enterprise systems.

Why this product is good

  • PostgreSQL is known for its strong support of SQL standards and excellent documentation, making it reliable for complex database requirements.
  • It provides advanced features such as multi-version concurrency control (MVCC), point-in-time recovery, and support for advanced indexing techniques.
  • PostgreSQL offers robust performance optimization options, powerful extensions, and a highly customizable platform.
  • It has a strong open-source community, ensuring ongoing improvements and support.
  • PostgreSQL is compatible with popular development frameworks and languages, enhancing its versatility.

Recommended for

  • Organizations seeking a scalable and stable database solution with strong compliance with SQL standards.
  • Developers who need advanced features like custom data types and indexing capabilities.
  • Projects requiring robust transactional integrity and data consistency.
  • Businesses looking for a cost-effective open-source database solution with active community support.

Analysis of pghoard

Overall verdict

  • pghoard is a solid, mature open-source backup and restore solution for PostgreSQL, developed by Aiven and used in production for managing cloud-based PostgreSQL backups. It's well-suited for teams needing reliable, automated backup management with cloud storage integration, though it requires some setup and PostgreSQL administration knowledge to use effectively.

Why this product is good

  • Supports multiple cloud storage backends including AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage
  • Provides continuous WAL archiving and base backups for point-in-time recovery
  • Battle-tested in production by Aiven for their managed PostgreSQL service
  • Open source with an active development history and community support
  • Handles backup compression and encryption out of the box
  • Supports multiple PostgreSQL versions and can manage backups for multiple clusters
  • Written in Python, making it relatively easy to extend or customize

Recommended for

  • Organizations running self-hosted PostgreSQL databases who need robust backup solutions
  • DevOps teams looking for cloud-native backup tooling with multi-provider storage support
  • Companies requiring point-in-time recovery capabilities for compliance or disaster recovery
  • Users already familiar with Aiven's ecosystem or seeking battle-tested tools from a managed database provider
  • Teams needing to manage backups across multiple PostgreSQL instances or clusters
  • Users comfortable with Python-based tooling and command-line configuration

PostgreSQL videos

Comparison of PostgreSQL and MongoDB

More videos:

  • Review - PostgreSQL Review
  • Review - MySQL vs PostgreSQL - Why you shouldn't use MySQL

pghoard videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PostgreSQL and pghoard)
Databases
99 99%
1% 1
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0
MySQL Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare PostgreSQL and pghoard

PostgreSQL Reviews

Database Management Systems (DBMS) Comparison: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle
Choosing the right database management system (DBMS) is a crucial decision that directly impacts your projectโ€™s performance and scalability. With a variety of options โ€” SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, and more โ€” each offering unique features and capabilities, itโ€™s important to carefully match the type of database software to your specific needs. Consider...
Source: blog.devart.com
20 Best Database Management Software and Tools of 2026
Yes, several tools, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB, offer free versions. While these are robust, enterprise editions or add-ons may come with additional costs for advanced features and support.
Source: infomineo.com
Data Warehouse Tools
Peliqan acts as a bridge, allowing you to e.g. effortlessly pull your PostgreSQL data into Google Sheets for easy access and analysis using its one-click connector. Additionally, Peliqanโ€™s platform provides a user-friendly environment for data exploration, transformation with Magical SQL, and visualization capabilities, all without needing to switch between multiple tools.
Source: peliqan.io
Top 5 BigQuery Alternatives: A Challenge of Complexity
For over three decades, the open-source object-relational database system PostgreSQL has maintained its reputation as a top SQL server due to its features, performance, and reliability. (Heck, Redshift is even based on Postgres!) It's the go-to database solution for large corporations and organizations across a variety of industries from ecommerce to gaming to...
Source: blog.panoply.io
10 Best Database Management Software Of 2022 [+ Examples]
Applications Manager offers out-of-the-box health and performance monitoring for 20 popular databases including RDBMS, NoSQL, in-memory, distributed, and big data stores. It supports both commercial databases such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL, IBM DB2, and MongoDB as well as open source ones like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Source: theqalead.com

pghoard Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PostgreSQL should be more popular than pghoard. It has been mentiond 19 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PostgreSQL mentions (19)

  • Create an API - Project Setup
    In this new series we will be creating an API written in go, using a framework like Chi, connecting to a PostgreSQL, and have it deployed to a site like Railway. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • PostgreSQL vs MySQL 2026: Which Database Wins for Modern Apps?
    PostgreSQL 17 Performance Guide โ€” Official docs for the latest performance improvements. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • #5 - 'The Power of [Separation] Compels You!'
    You also might be saying, Why not include the credit and attribution data with the product data and just use one data file? Thats a great question. I could have for the purpose of this demo, but if there were a backend to this project and a relational database like PostgreSQL attached to it, I would still have both sets of data in separate tables in the database. By using a foreign key between related records in... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Convert insert mutation to upsert
    In this quick post, weโ€™ll walk through implementing an Upsert operation in Hasura using PostgreSQL and GraphQL. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Perfect Elixir: Environment Setup
    Iโ€™m on MacOS and erlang.org, elixir-lang.org, and postgresql.org all suggest installation via Homebrew, which is a very popular package manager for MacOS. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

pghoard mentions (2)

  • Pgbackrest is no longer being maintained
    The "closest" would be using Barman with hook scripts (https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/3.18.0/user_guide/hook_scripts.html#hook-scripts-using-barman-cloud-scripts-as-hooks-in-barman) if you rely on cloud storage for storing backups. https://github.com/aiven-open/pghoard seems like a good option too, but I havenโ€™t tested it yet to have a solid opinion. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Future PostgreSQL: improvement to the replication protocol
    This story starts with our own PgHoard, a PITR backup tool for PostgreSQL. PgHoard offers several methods to archive the WAL (Write Ahead Log), including pg_receivewal, a small application shipping with PostgreSQL which connects to a PostgreSQL cluster using the physical replication protocol to stream WAL as they are produced, optionally keeping track of the position on the server using a replication slot. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PostgreSQL and pghoard, you can also consider the following products

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

Microsoft SQL - Microsoft SQL is a best in class relational database management software that facilitates the database server to provide you a primary function to store and retrieve data.

SQLite - SQLite Home Page

Oracle DBaaS - See how Oracle Database 12c enables businesses to plug into the cloud and power the real-time enterprise.

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

Oracle Database 12c - Simplify database management and automate the information lifecycle with maximum security.