Every year, EDB Chief Database Scientist Robert Haas reports on the individuals who have contributed the most to the PostgreSQL code base. Robert has been posting these statistics since 2017, and while he reminds us that the data doesn’t fully capture the work that goes into development, his analysis is a useful starting point for recognizing the people working tirelessly to drive Postgres forward and the companies supporting their efforts.
According to his calculations for 2024:
229 people were the principal author of at least one PostgreSQL commit
90% of the new code (194,266 lines) were contributed by just 47 people
A small cohort of just 18 people contributed 66% of the new lines of code
At EDB, we’re greatly honored that 10 contributors on the list of the top 47 work for us – more than any other company. In addition, 3 of these individuals are among the top 10 contributors to Postgres 17.
While lines of code don’t directly measure value or innovation, they offer insight into which organizations are actively investing in PostgreSQL's development. This information is critical when evaluating PostgreSQL’s sustainability. It’s also key for choosing a partner who can help you get the most out of the technology. Companies with multiple contributors deeply understand the code base and can configure the technology for specific needs and use cases. And while Postgres is widely known for its stability and reliability, it has over 1,000,000 lines of code! So it’s important to select a partner with the expertise to resolve bugs, performance issues, or other problems that may arise.
It takes a team
If you’d like to know more about the PostgreSQL Global Development Group behind Postgres 17, here are a few key numbers (as of January 31, 2025). There are:
- 7 PostgreSQL Core Team members, whose job is to keep things going and coordinate release activities.
- 30 Committers who can commit code changes or integrate new code into the PostgreSQL repo
- 50 Major Contributors who tend to have areas of specialization
- 463 people who contributed directly to PostgreSQL 17 as patch authors, committers, reviewers, testers, or reporters of issues—103 more than last year!
- Some of the world’s largest software companies invest heavily in Postgres, ensuring PostgreSQL is dynamic, resilient, and sustainable.
Investing in the future of Postgres
As a leading Postgres company, EDB was recently awarded best DevOps/Database Solution for EDB Postgres AI in the 2024 DevOps Dozen Awards. We’re excited about this award, but we also recognize that Postgres will need to continually evolve to support organizations’ rapidly growing data and analytics requirements.
You may recall we also posted a few blogs exploring this analysis last year, taking a look at which companies are supporting PostgreSQL development, as well as a full analysis of contributions to Postgres 16. As mentioned before, the lines of code aren’t everything, but it is worthwhile to track the way Postgres is growing and developing through the years, as the open source community continues to evolve. EDB is proud to continue leading that evolution.
We’re equipping Postgres for these workloads by adding AI features, analytical capabilities, and data formats to our Postgres AI solution. We believe Postgres’ true potential lies in its ability to serve as a foundation for business insights and digital innovation. That’s why we’re fully invested in the PostgreSQL project and ecosystem, and why our developers continue to write the code that shapes Postgres’ future.