Supported Postgres distributions v1.4.2 (LTS)

Selecting the right Postgres distribution when creating a new database cluster in Hybrid Manager (HM) is crucial for optimizing your database environment. EDB offers a range of options, each tailored to different needs, from open-source flexibility to enterprise-grade features and Oracle compatibility.

EDB Postgres Advanced Server

EDB Postgres Advanced Server is EDB's most comprehensive PostgreSQL distribution. It supports features such as advanced security, advanced SQL, high-availability and multi-master replication in combination with EDB Postgres Distributed and, optionally, Oracle compatibility. It's ideal for demanding enterprise workloads and seamless migration from cost-intensive Oracle databases.

This option is suited for:

• Enterprises migrating from Oracle databases seeking high compatibility to reduce migration costs and complexity.
• Organizations with mission-critical applications requiring advanced security, performance, and management tools.
• Businesses that need comprehensive enterprise-grade features, including enhanced auditing, SQL injection protection, and robust high availability.
• Teams leveraging AI Copilot for automated Oracle schema conversion during migration.

Key features:

• Oracle compatibility mode — Run Oracle PL/SQL and use Oracle-compatible data types (VARCHAR2, NUMBER, DATE). Use Oracle SQL syntax including hierarchical queries (CONNECT BY), bulk operations (FORALL, BULK COLLECT), and packages. AI-driven recommendations help assess and resolve schema incompatibilities during migration with Migration Portal.
• Advanced security — Enhanced auditing (EDB Audit), SQL injection protection, data redaction, and virtual private database (VPD) for row-level security policies.
• Advanced SQL — Enhanced SQL features beyond community PostgreSQL, including hierarchical queries, bulk operations, autonomous transactions, and a PL/SQL-compatible procedural language.
• EDB Postgres Distributed (PGD) — Multi-master replication for active-active high-availability deployments across multiple Kubernetes clusters or data centers. Enables Distributed HA (DHA) cluster types in HM.
• Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) — Data-at-rest encryption.
• Profile management — Database-level user profile management with password complexity rules, failed login lockout, and session limits.
• Resource management — EDB Resource Manager for controlling CPU, memory, and I/O allocation per user or workload group.

EDB Postgres Extended Server

EDB Postgres Extended Server provides specific enhancements designed for enterprise requirements, particularly in data security, for example, through transparent data encryption. It also supports advanced replication with EDB's powerful high-availability and multi-master replication solution, EDB Postgres Distributed.

This option is suited for:

• Enterprises requiring enhanced data-security features.
• Organizations looking to leverage EDB's high-availability and multi-master replication solutions.
• Users who want a PostgreSQL experience with additional enterprise capabilities while maintaining strong compatibility with community PostgreSQL.

Key features:

• TDE — Encrypt data at rest at the storage level without application changes. Supports AES-128 and AES-256 encryption with external key management integration.
• PGD — Multi-master replication for active-active high-availability deployments across multiple Kubernetes clusters or data centers. Enables DHA cluster types in HM.
• WAL encryption — Write-ahead log encryption to protect data in transit between primary and replica nodes.
• Enhanced authentication — SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication with additional enterprise authentication method support.

PostgreSQL

Open-source PostgreSQL is a powerful, reliable, and feature-rich relational database system. It's known for its strong adherence to SQL standards, robust architecture, data integrity, and a global community. When deployed through HM, community PostgreSQL benefits from the same automated provisioning, monitoring, backup, and lifecycle management as the EDB distributions.

This option is suited for:

• Organizations prioritizing cost effectiveness and open-source freedom.
• Projects that don't require transparent data encryption (TDE), multi-master replication solutions, or Oracle compatibility.
• Teams with in-house PostgreSQL expertise and the resources to manage their database environment.

Key features:

• Standards compliance — Full SQL:2016 core conformance and extensive SQL:2023 feature support.
• Extensibility — Rich extension ecosystem including pgvector, PostGIS, pg_stat_statements, and hundreds of community extensions.
• Logical replication — Built-in logical replication for read replicas and data distribution.
• Partitioning — Declarative table partitioning (range, list, hash) for managing large datasets.
• JSON support — Native JSONB type with indexing and query operators for semi-structured data.

Postgres version support

The following Postgres major versions are available for each distribution in HM. Specific minor versions depend on the HM release — check the release notes for version-specific details.

Extensions for AI and analytics workloads

HM makes AI-relevant extensions available across distributions to support AI Factory workloads:

• pgvector — Vector similarity search for embeddings, with support for distributed search across large-scale workloads and additional distance metrics. Supports IVFFlat, HNSW, and flat index types. Essential for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines. Available on all distributions.

Lakehouse and analytics capabilities require specific extensions that are preconfigured in Lakehouse cluster types:

• PGFS (Postgres File System) — Exposes object storage (S3, GCS, Azure Blob) as a Postgres-native file system for direct SQL access to external files.
• Apache Iceberg support — Read and write Apache Iceberg tables with full support for schema evolution, time travel, and partition pruning.
• Analytics Engine extensions — Columnar scan optimization, vectorized execution, and analytical query processing extensions.
• Tiered table extensions — Automated data tiering between hot Postgres storage and cold object storage with transparent query access.

Distribution comparison

For a comparison of the available distributions by functionality and feature, see:

• Feature support per distribution
• Advanced replication
• Advanced security
• Advanced SQL
• Advanced performance
• Oracle support
• Tools and extensions
• Deployment options

Documentation by distribution

To get the most out of any of the Postgres distributions, refer to its documentation:

• PostgreSQL
• EDB Postgres Extended Server
• EDB Postgres Advanced Server