GoKawiilContrary to popular belief - the answer to everything is NOT 42 - it’s PostgreSQL. (ok. It might also be Postgres).
Intro
I started using PostgreSQL roughly in 2003 for a research project called ColumbaDB. Columba is no more, but PostgreSQL is still alive and kicking more than ever.
In 2003, MySQL was much more widely used than PostgreSQL. MySQL was also potentially faster as it did not implement all features of the SQL standard. At the same time MySQL was lacking many features that we needed (full-text search, powerful indexes, SQL standard compliance etc). PostgreSQL felt more like a “real” database in comparison to MySQL - like a tiny version of Oracle - but in open source clothes.
During that research project I learned a lot about databases, indexes and the power of PostgreSQL. One important use-case was full-text search. We could have used MySQL in conjunction with another system like Lucene / Solr to make our database searchable. But that would have meant running and maintaining two such systems. Complicated.
PostgreSQL allowed us to use a fulltext search plugin to do everything in one system. No need to sync any data. No need to maintain and run two systems. It just worked and made us smile (after some tweaks of course). Simplicity.
Since then I used PostgreSQL for many use-cases throughout my career as CTO / Interim Manager. Most recently I used PostgreSQL to store very high volume web analytics time series data via its TimescaleDB plugin. Check out Privatracker - the best way to do web analytics and respect the privacy of your visitors - to see it in action.
Many others discussed the topic from different angles. And each article is really worth your time (SQL is Agile, Stephan Schmidt on Using SQL for Everything). Also check out my Linkedin post.
And if you are using PostgreSQL I can highly recommend reading Hazel Bachrach’s nice post on “What I Wish Someone Told Me About Postgres”.
In my humble opinion the power of PostgreSQL comes from three sources:
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