PostgreSQL, commonly referred to as Postgres, is an open-source relational database management system. It supports SQL and JSON querying. PostgreSQL stores data in tables made up of rows and columns. Users can define, manipulate, control, and query data using Structured Query Language, more commonly known as SQL.
It is an advanced, enterprise-class, and highly-extensible database system known for its reliability, feature robustness, high performance, and scalability. It is based on POSTGRES, a project that pioneered many database concepts.
In addition to being free and open source, PostgreSQL is highly extensible. For example, you can define your own data types, build out custom functions, even write code from different programming languages without recompiling your database.
PostgreSQL has many advanced features that other enterprise-class database management systems offer. It has been ACID-compliant since 2001 and has powerful add-ons such as the popular PostGIS geospatial database extender. It’s no surprise that PostgreSQL has become the open source relational database of choice for many people and organizations.