7 Crucial PostgreSQL Best Practices in 2025

Whether you’re a database administrator, developer, or DevOps engineer, following best practices ensures optimal performance, security, and maintainability of your PostgreSQL database systems. Here are 7 crucial best practices you should follow in 2025.

1. Database Design Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Consistent naming conventions make databases more maintainable and reduce confusion:

• Tables: Plural, snake_case (e.g., users, order_items)
• Columns: Singular, snake_case (e.g., first_name, created_at)
• Primary Keys: id or table_id
• Foreign Keys: referenced_table_singular_id (e.g., user_id, order_id)

Schema Design

A well-designed schema is crucial for long-term maintainability:

• Use appropriate data types (UUID, JSONB, ARRAY) to leverage Postgres features
• Implement proper constraints (NOT NULL, UNIQUE, CHECK)
• Consider partitioning large tables for better performance
• Use schema namespacing (e.g., auth.users, billing.invoices)

2. Performance Optimization

Indexing Strategies

-- Partial index for active users
CREATE INDEX active_users_idx ON users (email) WHERE status = 'active';

-- Composite index for common queries
CREATE INDEX users_email_status_idx ON users (email, status);

-- Covering index for frequently accessed columns
CREATE INDEX users_search_idx ON users (id, email, status, created_at);

Key indexing principles:

• Create indexes for frequently queried columns
• Use partial indexes for filtered queries
• Implement composite indexes for multi-column queries
• Consider covering indexes for frequently accessed columns
• Regularly analyze index usage and remove unused ones

3. Security Best Practices

Access Control

• Use role-based access control (RBAC)
• Follow the principle of least privilege
• Implement row-level security when needed
• Regularly audit database access
• Use connection pooling with SSL encryption

Example of implementing row-level security:

-- Enable row level security
ALTER TABLE customer_data ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

-- Create policy
CREATE POLICY customer_isolation_policy ON customer_data
    FOR ALL
    TO authenticated_users
    USING (organization_id = current_user_organization_id());

4. Backup and Recovery

Backup Strategy

• Use pg_dump for logical backups
• Implement WAL archiving for point-in-time recovery
• Maintain multiple backup copies
• Regularly test backup restoration
• Document recovery procedures

Example backup script:

#!/bin/bash
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
pg_dump -Fc -d mydb -f "backup_${TIMESTAMP}.dump"

5. Maintenance and Monitoring

Regular Maintenance

• Schedule regular VACUUM and ANALYZE operations
• Monitor and manage table bloat
• Archive or delete old data
• Update statistics regularly
• Monitor and manage index bloat

Key Metrics to Monitor

• Query execution time, cache hit ratio, TPS
• CPU, memory, disk I/O, connection count
• Table growth, index size, WAL size
• Replication lag, WAL generation rate
• Failed connections, deadlocks, errors

6. Development Practices

Version Control

• Use migration tools (e.g., Flyway, Liquibase)
• Document schema changes
• Include rollback procedures
• Test migrations in staging
• Maintain change history

7. High Availability

Replication Setup

Configure proper replication with:

# primary postgresql.conf
wal_level = replica
max_wal_senders = 10
max_replication_slots = 10

# replica postgresql.conf
hot_standby = on
hot_standby_feedback = on

Key considerations:

• Implement streaming replication
• Consider logical replication for specific use cases
• Monitor replication lag
• Plan and regularly test failover procedures
• Implement effective load balancing

Conclusion

Following these PostgreSQL best practices will help ensure a robust, performant, and maintainable database system. Remember to:

• Regularly review and update these practices
• Train team members on these standards
• Document any deviations from these practices
• Stay updated with PostgreSQL updates and features
• Maintain comprehensive documentation

By implementing these best practices, you’ll build a solid foundation for your PostgreSQL database infrastructure that can scale and adapt to your organization’s needs while maintaining security, performance, and reliability.