The PostgreSQL database, YugabyteDB, has been updated to a distributed architecture to make it a better option for companies building cloud-native applications.
According to Yugabyte, while PostgreSQL has many benefits, it does have limited resilience and scalability, which is not good for applications that need to stay online through outages, scale quickly to keep up with demand, or keep data in multiple regions.
With the latest updates, YugabyteDB evolves its PostgreSQL database to address those challenges. The two main differences now are an adaptive cost-based optimizer (CBO) and smart data distribution.
The adaptive CBO enables the use of PostgreSQL’s built-in CBO in high-scale and multi-region applications. It figures out the optimal query plan based on whether data is co-located, automatically shared, or distributed across zones or regions. According to Yugabyte, it also implements some of PostgreSQL’s core features like extended table statistics, parallel plans, and bitmap scans.
Smart data distribution enables YugabyteDB to automatically decide whether it’s better to store tables together in a colocated way, which leads to lower latency, or to shard and distribute them for larger scale.
“We’re thrilled to share this significant milestone on our journey to make YugabyteDB a truly distributed PostgreSQL database for modern applications at any scale,” said Karthik Ranganathan, co-founder and co-CEO at Yugabyte. “The latest version continues to push the boundaries of performance, scalability, and simplicity for enterprises embracing cloud-native architectures while harnessing the power of the world’s most popular database. With these enhanced features and improved compatibility, YugabyteDB further empowers developers and enterprises in their digital transformation journeys.”