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DigitalOcean PostgreSQL Advanced Edition is the latest generation of Managed PostgreSQL, with a consensus-based HA manager for cluster coordination and a connection pooler for routing.

PostgreSQL Advanced Edition targets highly available workloads and supports vertical and horizontal scaling of database nodes as your workload grows.

High Availability Architecture

PostgreSQL Advanced Edition runs PostgreSQL on managed cluster nodes. A consensus-based HA manager runs on the nodes, tracks cluster membership, automatically elects the primary after failures, and coordinates failover.

PostgreSQL Advanced Edition uses a connection pooler to provide clients with a single, stable service endpoint. The pooler sits in front of the database nodes, tracks which are healthy, pools connections, and routes them to the current primary. When the HA manager moves the primary after a failover, it shifts routing so that the hostname and port can stay the same while the backing node changes.

During a failover, active connections to the former primary may be interrupted, but applications that reconnect to the same endpoint are routed to the new primary automatically.

Key Differences

The following table shows the key differences between PostgreSQL Standard and Advanced Edition clusters.

Overview

Pricing

The Control Panel shows the total monthly cost when you create a cluster. Storage is billed at the same rate regardless of edition. Advanced Edition compute is priced higher than comparable Standard Edition plans, and your total depends on your plan and storage configuration. Pricing may change before general availability.

Features

• Vertical scaling: Resize nodes to a larger plan (more CPU, memory, or storage). The connection pooler manages traffic during the transition, reducing disruption.
• Horizontal scaling: Add or remove database nodes to match workload demand.
• Physical backups: Backups use physical backup and restore, which improves reliability and performance for large datasets.

Availability

PostgreSQL Advanced Edition is available in all regions.

Feedback and Support

PostgreSQL Advanced Edition is in public preview. Public previews receive full support. We expect but do not guarantee that public previews perform for production-level workloads.

Our terms of service govern your use of DigitalOcean and cover details of eligibility, content, use, payments and billing, and warranties.

Usage of Advanced Edition during public preview is also subject to the Managed Databases Advanced Edition preview terms.

Create a PostgreSQL Advanced Edition Cluster

To create a PostgreSQL Advanced Edition cluster, go to the Databases page, then click Create Database.

Choose a Database Engine

On the Create Database Cluster page, under Choose a database engine, select PostgreSQL, then choose a version. The database engine can’t be changed after creation.

Choose an Edition

Under Choose an edition, select Advanced Edition. The edition can’t be changed after creation.

Choose a Database Configuration

In the Choose a database configuration section, select one of the following options:

• General Purpose: Balanced vCPU-to-RAM ratio. Suitable for a broad range of workloads.
• Storage-Optimized: Higher RAM-to-vCPU ratio with more storage and concurrent connections. Recommended for most database workloads.

Under Select a plan, choose an option. Each option shows its combined monthly cost and included resources, such as vCPUs and memory.

After creation, you can increase your cluster’s compute size at any time.

Choose a Storage Size

In the Choose a storage size section, you can increase storage using the up arrow or by entering a value in 10 GiB increments, up to the maximum shown under Storage range.

After creation, you can increase storage at any time.

In the Autoscale storage section, select Enable Storage Autoscaling to automatically increase storage when disk utilization on any node in the cluster reaches the specified threshold. The threshold is based on the worst-performing node in the cluster, not the average across nodes. Click Customize to set a custom threshold and storage increment. The system bills this increase as additional storage.

Autoscaling takes several minutes, depending on the cluster size. It runs without downtime, and you do not need to take any action.

In the Maximize uptime for critical workloads section, you can add up to two standby nodes. Additional standby nodes increase cluster resilience by providing more promotion candidates during a failure.

Choose a Datacenter Region

In the Choose a datacenter region section, select a datacenter for your cluster.

The list shows the datacenters where you currently have the most resources, with the number of resources shown to the right as X resources. Hover over this text to see the specific resources in that datacenter.

For the best performance, create your database in the same datacenter as your other DigitalOcean resources. After creation, you can relocate your cluster to another datacenter.

Finalize and Create

In the Finalize and Create section, enter a unique name for the cluster and select a project to add it to. After creation, you can move the cluster to another project, but its name can’t be changed.

When finished, click Create Database Cluster.

Clusters typically take five minutes or more to provision, but you can complete important configuration tasks such as restricting inbound connections while you wait.

Limitations

• Features, behavior, limits, and supported plans may change during the public preview.

• Advanced Edition currently does not support the following features that are available in Standard:

  • Online data import tool
  • Read-only connections for standby nodes
  • Scale down cluster compute and storage
  • Migrate clusters to a different region