How To Be a Postgres DBA in a Pinch with Elizabeth Christensen - DjangoCon US 2022

Run Postgres almost anywhere

• Most commonly run on Linux servers
• Can also run on other operating systems

Monitor your Postgres database

• Use software as a service monitoring or open source options like Datadog, PG Analyze, and New Relic
• Keep an eye on memory, disk usage, locks, and cache hit ratio

Set up backups

• Make sure to have a fully managed Postgres option or manage your own backups
• Check pg_backrest for a more robust backup solution
• Use pg_restore to recover from backups

Practice, practice, practice

• Use pg_sta_activity to track query plans
• Run queries and cron jobs
• Check pg_stat_statements for slow queries

Know how to troubleshoot

• Look at query plans with Explain
• Set statement timeout to prevent query hang-ups
• Check binar logs for slow queries

Keep your Postgres instance up to date

• Run maintenance tasks regularly
• Use pg_stat_statements to track query plans

Set up connections

• Set max connections to avoid overload
• Use pg_stat_activity to track query plans
• Check cache hit ratio

Secure your Postgres instance

• Use SSL for database connections
• Monitor your database with software as a service or open source options