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PostgreSQL VS SQL Azure

Compare PostgreSQL VS SQL Azure and see what are their differences

PostgreSQL logo PostgreSQL

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

SQL Azure logo SQL Azure

Microsoft Azure Cloud SQL Database is the developerโ€™s cloud database service. The Azure database as a service is your solution to building and monitoring applications quickly and efficiently.
  • PostgreSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • SQL Azure Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-06

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.

SQL Azure features and specs

  • Scalability
    SQL Azure provides scalable performance that can be adjusted based on demand without downtime, allowing businesses to handle varying workloads efficiently.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, SQL Azure reduces administrative overhead by handling updates, backups, and maintenance automatically, freeing up IT resources for other tasks.
  • High Availability
    Built-in high availability and disaster recovery features ensure continuous data access and reliability, minimizing downtime and protecting data integrity.
  • Security
    SQL Azure offers advanced security features, including network isolation, encryption, and threat detection, enhancing data protection and compliance with security standards.
  • Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
    Seamless integration with other Microsoft services and tools such as Power BI, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Synapse enhances capabilities for data analysis and management.

Possible disadvantages of SQL Azure

  • Cost
    The pay-as-you-go pricing model can become expensive for businesses with large-scale demands or unpredictable usage patterns, potentially increasing operational costs.
  • Limited Control
    Because it is a managed service, users have less control over server configurations and customizations, which can be a limitation for certain specialized requirements.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    As a cloud-based service, consistent internet connectivity is required to access SQL Azure, which can be a disadvantage for locations with unreliable internet service.
  • Learning Curve
    Organizations may need to invest time and resources into training staff to understand and optimize Azure SQL features, which can delay implementation.
  • Data Transfer Costs
    There may be additional costs associated with transferring data in and out of SQL Azure, particularly for businesses that frequently move large volumes of data.

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.

PostgreSQL videos

Comparison of PostgreSQL and MongoDB

More videos:

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

SQL Azure videos

No SQL Azure videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PostgreSQL and SQL Azure)
Databases
90 90%
10% 10
Relational Databases
89 89%
11% 11
NoSQL Databases
94 94%
6% 6
Tool
85 85%
15% 15

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 SQL Azure

PostgreSQL Reviews

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
ClickHouse vs TimescaleDB
Recently, TimescaleDB published a blog comparing ClickHouse & TimescaleDB using timescale/tsbs, a timeseries benchmarking framework. I have some experience with PostgreSQL and ClickHouse but never got the chance to play with TimescaleDB. Some of the claims about TimescaleDB made in their post are very bold, that made me even more curious. I thought itโ€™d be a great...
9 Best MongoDB alternatives in 2019
PostgreSQL is a widely popular open source database management system. It provides support for both SQL for relational and JSON for non-relational queries.
Source: www.guru99.com

SQL Azure Reviews

We have no reviews of SQL Azure yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PostgreSQL should be more popular than SQL Azure. It has been mentiond 17 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 (17)

  • #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 / 13 days 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 / about 1 year 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 1 year ago
  • Rust & MySQL: connect, execute SQL statements and stored procs using crate sqlx.
    According to the documentation, crate sqlx is implemented in Rust, and it's database agnostic: it supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and MSSQL. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Really tired. Is PostgreSQL even runnable in Windows 10? pgAdmin4 stucks at Loading whatever I try.
    Solution is just downloading and installilng pgAdmin from official pgAdmin homepage version, not the one that is included in the postgresql.org package. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

SQL Azure mentions (10)

  • Database Sharding vs Partitioning: Whatโ€™s the Difference?
    Azure SQL Database for partitioning and sharding through Elastic Database tools. These tools and services simplify the task of managing distributed data. These cloud-based solutions are particularly useful for teams that do not have DevOps expertise. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Microsoft Announces the Preview of Serverless for Hyperscale in Azure SQL Database
    Recently, Microsoft announced the preview of serverless for Hyperscale in the Azure SQL Database, which brings together the benefits of serverless and Hyperscale into a single database solution. For full news coverage see InfoQ news item: https://www.infoq.com/news/2023/02/azure-sql-hyperscale-serverless/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Azure SQL Database External REST Endpoints Integration Now in Public Preview
    Microsoft recently announced the public preview of Azure SQL Database External REST Endpoint Integration โ€“ an ability to call a REST endpoint natively from Azure SQL Database. For more details see: https://www.infoq.com/news/2022/11/azure-sql-rest-endpoint/. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • How I Build and Deliver B2B SaaS Software as a 1.5* Person Indie Developer
    Www Services for hosting the marketing site. This includes a Key Vault, Storage Account, Service Bus Namespace, Azure SQL database and an App Service. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • The Difference Between Data Warehouses, Data Lakes, and Data Lakehouses.
    Popular managed cloud data warehouse solutions include Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Database, and Amazon Redshift. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PostgreSQL and SQL Azure, 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.

SAP HANA - SAP HANA is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system.

SQLite - SQLite Home Page

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

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