January 2025 Recap: Azure Postgres Flexible Server
Hello Azure Community, Happy 2025! This January, we’re introducing some exciting updates for Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server, including a big one called pg_diskann. With pg_diskann, you can work more efficiently with large amounts of data using an advanced vector indexing algorithm. On top of that, we’ve added fresh security features, better backup options, and other handy improvements—all designed to make your work smoother. Let’s jump right in! Feature Highlights Public Preview of pg_diskann Support for the latest Postgres minor versions New Extensions and version updates New QuickStart guide for .NET SDK Server parameter enhancements New 'pg_signal_autovacuum_worker' role Public Preview of pg_diskann We’re thrilled to announce the open public preview of DiskANN, a leading vector indexing algorithm, on Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server! Now you can use DiskANN on any new Postgres server without having to sign-up for the preview! In the latest version 0.4.0, we introduced parallel index build for faster index build times as well as addressing numerous bugs and improved index stability and performance. For additional details on pg_diskann, please refer to DiskANN documentation. Support for the Latest Postgres Minor Versions Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server now supports the latest minor versions: 17.2, 16.6, 15.10, 14.15, 13.18, and 12.22. These upgrades are automatically applied during our scheduled maintenance, ensuring your database always operates on the most secure and optimized versions available—without manual intervention. This update addresses numerous bug fixes and security improvements to bolster system stability and performance. For additional details, please refer to the PostgreSQL community announcement regarding these new minor version releases. New Extensions and Version Updates We're excited to announce support for three powerful PostgreSQL extensions: postgresql-hll, topn, and tdigest, now supported on Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server. These extensions enhance your ability to handle complex, data-intensive workloads seamlessly. The postgresql-hll extension enables efficient approximation of unique elements using the HyperLogLog data structure, ideal for large-scale analytics. For additional details, please refer to the postgresql-hll documentation. With the topn extension, you can quickly compute the most frequently occurring values in datasets, perfect for large data analysis and real-time dashboards. For additional details, please refer to the topn documentation. The tdigest extension allows accurate quantile estimation for numeric data, making it easier to analyze percentiles and distributions at scale. For additional details, please refer to the tdigest documentation. New QuickStart guide for .NET SDK A new QuickStart guide is available that focuses on using the Azure PostgreSQL for .NET SDK to perform Flexible Server management operations. This guide will get you started with the basic setup of a .NET project, including commands to download the necessary packages and various code examples. These examples will help you understand how to manage a Flexible Server instance, including deploying, configuring firewall rules, and other settings. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, this guide is the perfect way to begin working with C# code to interact with Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server. Please check out the detailed guidelines on this SDK with this link: Quickstart: Create With Azure Libraries (SDK) For .NET - Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server | Microsoft Learn . Server Parameter Enhancements We've enhanced several server parameters to boost your database's performance and customizability. Prominent updates include the ability to adjust settings for vacuum behavior, memory allocation, and client connection defaults, significantly enhancing system performance and stability. These updates allow greater control over your database operations and are tailored to enhance both functionality and user experience across diverse environments. For a comprehensive list of all adjustable parameters and their descriptions, visit our Server Parameter Documentation. New 'pg_signal_autovacuum_worker' role We are introducing the pg_signal_autovacuum_worker role for PostgreSQL versions 15 and higher, now available in Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server. This role lets non-super users terminate the autovacuum process when needed, such as before performing DDL operations. It's a more flexible and secure way to manage autovacuum without requiring super-user privileges. For more details around this new feature, please visit our documentation: http://aka.ms/pg-flex-pg_signal_autovaccum_worker . Azure Postgres Learning Bytes 🎓 Passwordless Connection to Database Service This month's Learning Bytes highlights how to establish a passwordless connection using Azure service connectors to the database. This method uses managed identities to eliminate manual secret management. First, include these dependencies in your pom.xml file: <dependency> <groupid>org.postgresql</groupid> <artifactid>postgresql</artifactid> <version>42.3.6</version> </dependency> <dependency> <groupid>com.azure</groupid> <artifactid>azure-identity-extensions</artifactid> <version>1.1.5</version> </dependency> Next, use the following Java code to connect to your database. You can add your connection string from the database to ‘YOUR_CONNECTION_STRING’ import java.sql.*; String url = System.getenv("YOUR_CONNECTION_STRING"); String pluginName = "com.azure.identity.extensions.jdbc.postgresql.AzurePostgresqlAuthenticationPlugin"; Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection(url + "&authenticationPluginClassName=" + pluginName); For a more detailed tutorial on step-by-step setup for different languages and frameworks, check our tutorial on Microsoft Learn. Conclusion Thanks for checking out the new features we released this January. Every update makes Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server better, safer, and easier to use. Try them out and see how they can help you. We really value your thoughts and suggestions—they help us make our service better. Here’s to a great year ahead with lots of new improvements. Stay tuned for more updates!
