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PostgreSQL Architecture and Performance Health Check

Prevention is better than a cure.

Just like a regular check-up catches issues before they become critical, our PostgreSQL Health Check identifies early signs of risk and keeps your database in peak condition:

  • Faster Queries: Reduce response times by up to 75%, enhancing user satisfaction.
  • Maximum Reliability: Achieve 99.99% uptime to ensure seamless operations.
  • Scalability: Optimize your database for future growth and demand.

Delivered by PostgreSQL experts, this service surfaces performance bottlenecks, misconfigurations, and availability risks before they impact your users. Get proactive, measurable insights and ensure your database supports your growth with confidence.

5 good reasons to get a PostgreSQL health check

Optimize performance by identifying database degradation over time and fixing inefficient queries, outdated statistics, and misconfigured settings
Preempt critical problems from derailing your operations by proactively identifying issues and addressing them
Enhance database security to protect sensitive data by keeping up with evolving security threats, identifying vulnerabilities, and following best practices
Plan for scaling the database by evaluating the current setup and deciding between optimization or infrastructure expansion for your growing data
Reduce the risk of non-compliance and potential penalties by ensuring that your database is compliant with industry standards and best practices

Case study: maximized PostgreSQL performance

Stormatics consultants are committed to excellence which is evident in their services.
Oliver Morgan
CEO at Ventrata

Ventrata, to achieve maximum performance gains, switched to AlloyDB from CloudSQL. Over time, the situation deteriorated as query execution times increased from less than 5 ms to 50 ms. 

The Stormatics team was brought in to fix the performance issue at hand. The team reviewed system parameters and query planning metrics in detail. The following problems were determined:

  • Virtually all of the time was spent on planning the queries. This time delay affected both newly created tables as well as tables with newly created partitions.
  • There was an unusually high number of Object identifiers (OIDs) being used, which was expected, however, AlloyDB had a bug that was further aggravating these issues.

How we perform a PostgreSQL health check

Our consultants work with your team to evaluate your database’s performance, security, and configuration. The health check is guided by a proven approach developed through years of hands-on PostgreSQL experience, covering steps such as:

Analyze Performance Metrics: Review PostgreSQL performance metrics to detect slow queries and resource bottlenecks.
Evaluate Query Performance: Study query plans to optimize slow queries by improving indexing and rewriting inefficient SQL.
Security Hardening: Strengthen database security by enforcing SSL connections, using strong passwords, and ensuring role-based access control.
Optimize Configuration Settings: Ensure settings like shared_buffers and work_mem are tuned for your workload.
Monitor High Availability: Ensure replication is properly configured to maintain high availability, and monitor replication lag for fast failover.
Disaster Recovery and Backup: Verify that backups are running and can be restored quickly.
Monitor I/O: Keep an eye on disk usage and I/O performance to avoid storage-related slowdowns.
Best Practices: Follow PostgreSQL best practices by regularly vacuuming, keeping the database updated, and monitoring performance.

Deliverable

A comprehensive report providing actionable recommendations to enhance performance, ensure a robust and reliable business application, and establish a scalable architecture.

Ongoing PostgreSQL optimization

Stay ahead of issues with a quarterly health check that proactively tunes your database for performance, reliability, and growth. With regular assessments by PostgreSQL experts, you can scale confidently, without having to remember to schedule checks manually.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is a PostgreSQL Health Check?

A PostgreSQL Health Check is a comprehensive audit of your database environment, covering performance, security, and configuration. Regular health checks help prevent downtime and optimize performance.

You can check the health of PostgreSQL by monitoring key metrics such as CPU usage, memory, and disk I/O. A detailed health check evaluates performance, identifies bottlenecks, and provides recommendations for improvement.

Postgres performance is typically analyzed by reviewing query execution times, index usage, and transaction rates. Tools like `EXPLAIN` and `pg_stat_statements` can help identify slow queries for optimization.

 

You can verify that PostgreSQL is running by using the `pg_isready` command, which checks if the server is responsive and accepting connections.

Conditions such as query load, connection limits, and disk space are monitored using PostgreSQL’s internal statistics and system monitoring tools. Anomalies are flagged during the health check process.

You can check your PostgreSQL database health by examining metrics like database size, table bloat, and unused indexes. Regular checks ensure that your database remains optimized.

Best practices include setting up automated alerts for critical events, using monitoring tools like `pg_stat_activity` for query tracking, and following regular maintenance routines for optimal performance.

A PostgreSQL server can be monitored by tracking system resources, query performance, and replication status. Tools like Prometheus and Grafana are often used to visualize this data.

You can use the `pg_stat_activity` view to see all currently running queries, helping to identify any that may be causing performance issues.

The running status of PostgreSQL can be checked using the command `systemctl status postgresql` (or an equivalent command, depending on your environment).

If PostgreSQL is running in a container, you can check the container status using Docker commands like `docker ps`, and verify the database within the container is functioning as expected.

Database health metrics include query response times, cache hit rates, deadlock counts, and replication lag. These metrics provide insight into the performance and reliability of your PostgreSQL database.

Maintaining database health involves regular monitoring, performance tuning, and updates. Regular health checks help keep your PostgreSQL environment optimized.

You can check active sessions in PostgreSQL using the `pg_stat_activity` view, which shows details about current connections and queries.

The existence of a PostgreSQL database can be confirmed by querying system catalogs or using tools like `psql` to list all available databases.

Replication health is checked using the `pg_stat_replication` view, which shows details on replication delays and the status of standby servers.

Quarterly health checks are ideal for businesses running PostgreSQL in mission-critical environments where uptime, security, and performance directly impact revenue or customer experience. This includes fintech platforms, SaaS products, and data-intensive applications that need regular validation of their setup to stay aligned with growing workloads and compliance requirements.

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