Establishing the PostgreSQL standard: What's Postgres compatible?
Tuesday, October 21 at 09:00–12:30
What does it mean to be "PostgreSQL compatible"? As PostgreSQL becomes "the new Linux" for the enterprise, this question becomes increasingly important. This half-day session invites Postgres developers, contributors, and community members to define a practical framework of criteria and tests for PostgreSQL compatibility.
About
As PostgreSQL's success grows, so do the challenges of brand dilution and feature fragmentation from "Postgres-compatible" derivatives. This session will focus on designing a test harness using existing regression tests and propose new tests covering core features, build behaviour, Application Binary Interface (ABI) stabilit, and backup/replication. The goal is to outline a concrete path towards meaningful compatibility certification.
This will be a focused, technical working session.
Agenda
- Introduction & Motivation: A brief overview of the current landscape and the goals of the session.
- Group Discussions: Participants will split into small groups, with discussion leads for each topic, to identify compatibility concerns and propose test approaches.
- Presentations & Roadmap: Each group will present their findings, followed by a collaborative session to outline a preliminary roadmap.
Interest areas
- SQL Features & Core Behaviour: What defines the essential PostgreSQL user experience?
- Test Coverage: Build tests, behavioural tests, and ABI stability.
- Backup & Replication: Ensuring compatibility with standard tools and protocols (WAL, PITR, streaming, logical)
- Identity: If a product is compatible but not the C (vanilla) implementation, is it still PostgreSQL?
We aim to close the session with a preliminary outline of criteria for meaningful compatibility testing and a roadmap for continued collaboration.
