PostgreSQL 18 just hit stable. Big swing!
Async IO infrastructure is in. That means lower overhead, tighter storage control, and less CPU getting chewed up by I/O. Add direct IO, and the database starts flexing beyond traditional bottlenecks.
OAuth 2.0? Native now. No hacks needed. UUIDv7? Built-in support for those time-sortable keys we’ve all been duct-taping together.
Virtual generated columns are the new default. Logical replication now includes them too. Vacuum got leaner. B-tree skip scans got smarter. You get faster queries, less bloat.
Even the wire protocol got an update - for the first time since 2003. Let that one sink in.
And temporal key constraints bring real support for time-valid data integrity. Timestamped reality checks, right in the schema.
Postgres always evolves slowly. But this one moves the ground.
