On May 12, 2025, something remarkable happened in Montréal. The Postgres Extension Developers Coalition (“PGDEC”) hosted Postgres Extensions Day Montréal 2025 as a free, full-day event to provide a forum for extension developers to discuss challenges and solutions. The PGEDC seeks to identify and address limitations within the current Postgres extension framework, advocating for improvements and new features that would benefit the extension ecosystem.

The Postgres community responded with overwhelming enthusiasm through insightful presentations and engaging hallway discussions. You can watch the entire Postgres Extensions Day 2025 Montreal event on the PGDEC YouTube channel below:

This enthusiasm wasn't new. At previous Postgres Conferences, extension sessions have been consistently well-attended. Nearly all the pgvector sessions at the 2026 conference in Orlando were at capacity.

Standing Room Only: The Extension Community Speaks

Sessions like "Postgres.pm: Packaging Manager Magic" by Yurii Rashkovskii, "1 Billion Row Challenge: Comparing Postgres, DuckDB, and Extensions" by Ryan Booz, and "Understanding Database Statistics and Extensions in PostgreSQL" by Ranjan Burman drew significant interest. The message was clear: the community craves extension content.

Why Extensions Matter

Extensions are PostgreSQL's superpower, as they transform a database into an even more robust platform. Need vector similarity search for AI applications? Install pg_vector. Building location services? PostGIS has you covered. Time-series data? TimescaleDB. Horizontal scaling? Citus. The ecosystem includes over 300 extensions, each solving real problems every day.

The Challenges Extension Developers Face

• But extension developers face unique challenges:
• Maintaining compatibility across PostgreSQL versions is complex
• Distribution and packaging strategies vary wildly
• Security considerations multiply when you're extending core functionality
• Testing becomes exponentially harder
• The community is fragmented, as maintainers of different extensions rarely connect in person

Postgres Extensions Day Montréal 2025 proved that extension developers need a dedicated space. Not a 20-minute talk squeezed between database administration sessions or surface-level overviews.

The standing-room-only sessions at Postgres Conference 2025 validated this need, so we're extending Extensions Day quite literally to Silicon Valley. On April 23, 2026, Postgres Conference brings the proven Montreal format to the West Coast with enhanced reach and integration.

Where Innovation Actually Happens

Why does this matter? Because extensions are where PostgreSQL innovation happens. Core database development moves carefully and deliberately. Extensions move fast — they innovate, address edge cases, and push boundaries.

Extensions Day embodies Postgres Conference 2026's theme: "Energizing People with Data and Creativity." Extension developers are the creative force transforming data possibilities.

Extension developers deserve recognition, technical depth, and community support. Extensions Day at Postgres Conference 2026 provides all of this and more.

Your Moment to Connect

The extension community has spoken. From standing-room-only sessions at conferences to the overwhelming response in Montréal, the message is clear: extension developers need their own space. They've been working in isolation, solving similar problems independently, waiting for their moment to connect.

That moment is now.

Watch what happened in May, and see the community that's forming. Then answer the call by bringing your extension expertise to San Jose. Your challenges, your solutions, and your insights matter. The ecosystem needs your ideas, your voice, and your creativity!

What We're Looking For

Topics we’re looking for:

• Operating extensions in production
• Teaching extension development
• Extension packaging and delivery
• Libraries and frameworks for extensions
• Gaps and challenges
• Implementing extensions in different languages
• Interesting techniques, discoveries, and lessons learned
• Extensions security
• Anything related to Postgres extensions

Share your extension expertise at Extensions Day at Postgres Conference 2026. Submit your proposal here before the CFP closes on January 30, 2026.

Interested in attending? Early Bird Registration is now open! Learn more at the blog post and register today!

The Call for Proposals to present at Postgres Conference: 2026 is open!

Postgres Conference 2026 needs your voice. We're seeking speakers who can educate, inspire, and engage with the PostgreSQL community. Our six tracks span technical deep dives, operational best practices, career development, and yes, even your non-database passions. Share what you know, what you've learned, or what matters to you.

Join us April 21-23, 2026, in San Jose, California, for three days of learning, networking, and celebrating everything that makes the PostgreSQL community exceptional.

Six Tracks, Unlimited Possibilities at Postgres Conference: 2026

• Postgres Extensions Day: Dedicated to developers building and maintaining PostgreSQL extensions. Share your work, learn from others, and connect with the extensions community.
• Dev Track: Application development with PostgreSQL. Topics include using extensions like pg_vector for enhanced search performance, creating custom data types, building applications, and leveraging PostgreSQL features in your development workflow.
• Ops Track: Operational practices for PostgreSQL and related technologies. Covers deployment, monitoring, performance tuning, backup strategies, high availability, replication, and infrastructure management.
• Essentials Track: Deep dives into core PostgreSQL functionality. Explore data types, built-in features, query optimization, indexing strategies, and fundamental concepts. If it's in the documentation or should be, this track explores it thoroughly. Core PostgreSQL knowledge that provides long-term career value.
• Life and Fun Track: Non-technical topics that make us human. Share your hobbies, side projects, and interests outside of databases. Topics include beekeeping, gardening, homesteading, solar projects, IoT experiments, mountain biking, camping, and anything else that brings you joy.
• Professional Development & Wellness Track: Career growth and personal well-being. Topics include career advancement, managing burnout, work-life integration, mental health, communication skills, leadership development, and building sustainable careers in technology.

Choose Your Format

We offer four session formats to match your content and presentation style:

• Talk (50 minutes): The standard conference format with time for depth and detail. Ideal for comprehensive technical topics, case studies, architectural overviews, or storytelling that needs room to breathe. Includes time for audience questions and discussion. Plan for 40-45 minutes of content to allow for Q&A.
• Presentation (20 minutes): Focused, fast-paced format for specific topics or techniques. Perfect for introducing a new tool, sharing a specific solution to a common problem, or delivering a concentrated dose of knowledge. Get in, deliver value, get out. No time for Q&A during the session, but speakers should make themselves available afterward for an impromptu hallway session
• Mini-tutorial (90 minutes): Hands-on learning sessions where attendees follow along on their own laptops. Best for teaching practical skills, walking through implementations, or guided problem-solving. Assumes attendees will have their development environment ready. Include setup instructions in your proposal and plan for troubleshooting time.
• T3D Session (10 minutes): Tips, Tricks, and Deep Dives. Lightning-fast knowledge bombs. Share one powerful technique, one crucial insight, or one problem-solution pair. No fluff, no long introductions. These sessions are scheduled back-to-back, so timing is strict. Perfect for that one thing you wish everyone knew about PostgreSQL and related open source technologies.

Why Speak at Postgres Conference?

Speaking at Postgres Conference connects you with hundreds of PostgreSQL professionals, from developers and DBAs to architects and business leaders. You'll share your expertise, build your professional network, and contribute to the community that makes PostgreSQL thrive.

First-time speakers and conference veterans alike are welcome. We're committed to diverse voices and perspectives across all our tracks.

Submit Your Proposal

• Ready to share your knowledge? View our presentation guidelines and submit your proposal here by January 30, 2026.
• Have questions about your submission? Reach out to our program committee. We're here to help you craft a proposal that showcases your expertise.
• View the full conference details

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in supporting the PostgreSQL community and connecting with decision-makers in Silicon Valley? Download our sponsorship prospectus or contact us to discuss partnership opportunities

We'll see you in sunny San Jose in April 2026. Let's build something great together.

Subscribe to our Year-Round Newsletter

Want to stay connected year-round for community events and educational opportunities? Receive news straight to your inbox by subscribing to the PostgresWorld Community newsletter on Substack.

As part of the countdown to PostgresConf US 2018, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Elizabeth Zalman is the Co-founder & CEO of strongDM, the definitive data security product. Previously she was Co-Founder and CEO of the cross-device profile company Media Armor.

Liz will be presenting a breakout session "Do You Know Your Vendor Dependencies" on Wednesday, April 18, at 4 pm. Read what she has to say about Postgres and why to attend her session: 

Why PostgreSQL? What got you into it, and made you stick with it?

Featureful performance & proven reliability. Over the years I've found fewer and fewer reasons to consider alternatives beyond Postgres (two notable exceptions being redis-style KV and queues).

Tell us about your involvement with the greater Postgres community.

strongDM hears a lot about how its customers use PG and its derivatives (Greenplum, the latest on Aurora, etc.) and we love sharing tips when appropriate.

What new features of PostgreSQL 10 are you most excited about?

As a security product, we're always happy to see security-related upgrades: SASL/SCRAM authentication is a popular option in several of database systems, and is a significant upgrade over the previous salted hashes. We also rely heavily on partitioning, so all related enhancements are welcome.Finally: although we generally wouldn't choose to run parallel queries in a primarily OLTP system, the promise of running analytic queries on a replica (rather than ETL'ing into an analytic database) is very appealing.

What features should be developed/improved and released in the next major upgrade?

Dynamic optimization for queries on partitioned tables. Right now if you run select * from date_partitioned_table where event_timestamp between NOW() and NOW() - interval '7 days'; It scans every partition because the result of NOW() is not knowable ahead of time. But it could optimize that query when it was asked to execute it. Instead of creating a static query plan it could say, I know I'm going to have to compute a list of partitions. So, let's just remember that. Then right before the query runs, it could calculate the list and run the query as though it had been planned with a static date range, and thus only query the affected tables. 

 Why should attendees come to your talk at PostgresConf US 2018?

In this talk, I'll share practical examples of breaches I've personally experienced along with advice on how to hold your vendors accountable, and hopefully make the topic of security a little less intimidating in the process.

What sessions are you most excited about attending at PostgresConf US 2018?

I am looking forward to attending “Reducing the Surface Area of Risk in Data Security” by Tim Gorman and “General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with Azure Database for PostgreSQL” by Mark Bolz.

What is your favorite aspect of PostgresConf US?

Being able to network with and learn from a unique community! I’ve found practice to really be one of the best ways to learn about databases.

 What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres? 

 I’ve found practice to really be one of the best ways to learn about databases. Get your hands dirty: try breaking things and then fixing them! 

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2018, and buy your tickets soon!

The Postgres Conference 2025 is set to take place in Orlando, Florida, from March 18 to 21, 2025. This year's conference features an expanded lineup of tracks, including the Dev Track, which is tailored for developers seeking to deepen their expertise in PostgreSQL. This track offers sessions to enhance your development skills, explore new tools, and provide practical insights into PostgreSQL's capabilities.

What to Expect

The Dev Track is curated to address the diverse needs of developers working with PostgreSQL. Attendees can look forward to:

• In-Depth Tutorials: Hands-on sessions that delve into advanced PostgreSQL features and development practices.
• Expert-Led Workshops: Opportunities to learn from seasoned professionals about optimizing performance, implementing machine learning, and more.
• Cutting-Edge Topics: Discussions on the latest tools, extensions, and methodologies in the PostgreSQL ecosystem.

Session Highlights

Here are some standout sessions in the Dev Track:

• A Practical Guide to Set-Based Queries (paid training)

  • Speaker: Aaron Cutshall
  • Date & Time: March 18, 2025, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Description: This workshop addresses performance issues arising from procedural code in PostgreSQL. Aaron will guide participants through transforming procedural logic into efficient set-based queries, enhancing database performance.
    
    

• Machine Learning using PostgreSQL (paid training)

  • Speaker: Abbas Butt
  • Date & Time: March 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  • Description: Abbas will introduce participants to implementing machine learning algorithms directly within PostgreSQL 15.x using Apache MADlib 2.1.0 installed on Ubuntu 22.04. The session covers practical applications of predictive analytics, enabling developers to harness the power of ML in their databases.
    
    
• From MongoDB to Postgres: Building an Open Source Standard for Document Databases
  
  • Speaker: Peter Farkas
  • Date & Time: March 19, 2025, 4:00 - 4:20 PM
  • Description: This session reviews the current state of document databases, and demonstrates how Postgres handles MongoDB workloads with ease.

For a comprehensive view of all sessions and to plan your itinerary, visit the official conference schedule.

Why Attend?

Participating in the Dev Track at Postgres Conference 2025 offers numerous benefits:

• Skill Enhancement: Gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience with PostgreSQL's advanced features.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow developers, industry experts, and thought leaders.
• Stay Current: Keep abreast of the latest developments, tools, and best practices in the PostgreSQL community.

Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your PostgreSQL development skills. Register now and join us in Orlando for an enriching experience.

The month of January is just about over and we are coming up on the end of our Early Bird registration window for PostgresConf US 2018, which takes place in Jersey City, New Jersey from April 16th to April 20st at The Westin Jersey City Newport.

You have until tomorrow to purchase your tickets for $200 off for the largest PostgreSQL conference in the world. Early Bird tickets are on sale here through January 31.

We are excited to announce that we received over 170 proposals for PostgresConf US 2018, with an impressive range of high quality content and speakers. On April 16th and 17th, we are pleased to offer a choice of 15 different training sessions so you are sure to have the chance to dig deep into a topic that interests you. Some of our training classes are:

• Mastering PostgreSQL Administration
• Tutorial on Modern PostgreSQL High Availability
• Deep Dive into PostgreSQL Authentication Methods
• Digging into Advanced SQL
• The postgresql.conf from A-Z: Includes Postgres Performance and Maintenance

For a complete list, check out the events page for all of our training classes. 

Also during PostgresConf, you will also have an opportunity to meet our great sponsors, including:

• Diamond: Amazon Web Services, Pivotal
• Platinum: Compose, OpenSCG, 2ndQuadrant, Microsoft
• Gold: Cybertec, JetBrains, Citus Data, EnterpriseDB, Linode, Timescale, Cockroach Labs

At the Westin Jersey City Newport, we have negotiated a discounted conference room rate of $260/night + applicable taxes for attendees. Be sure to book prior to March 26, 2018 - the conference rate is not guaranteed after this date. Rooms may be booked via our dedicated Westin booking page, or via telephone (888) 627-7148. If booking via telephone please mention "PostgresConf US 2018" to receive the group rate.

For more information, please visit the PostgresConf US 2018 website. 

Stay tuned for our presentation and breakout sessions announcement. We look forward to seeing you in April!

P.S. Looking for a discount code? Check your local Postgres User Group mailing list.

Pavan Deolasse is a PostgreSQL consultant for 2ndQuadrant, one of our Platinum Sponsors for PostgresConf US 2018. Learn more about Pavan in this Community Profile:

Pavan Deolasee is a contributor to the development of PostgreSQL and related technologies. He holds a Masters of Technology in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and has several publications to his credit.

Pavan was introduced to PostgreSQL in the year 2006 when he started working for a PostgreSQL company. Hacking PostgreSQL was a completely new experience, but by accepting help from the community -- especially Simon Riggs, his mentor -- he began working through the code and was soon working on a very important project (Heap-Only-Tuple aka HOT). It was a very complicated piece of work, yet one of the landmark features in PostgreSQL and to this day remains one of his most important contributions to the project. Pavan has since contributed several patches to PostgreSQL. 

HOT was committed to PostgreSQL in 2008 and Pavan has continued to stay fully engaged with the project. In 2009/2010, alongside other colleagues, Pavan started work on Postgres-XC, a distributed, shared-nothing, clustering solution based on PostgreSQL. He was involved in designing the high-level architecture of the solution, and later wrote many important pieces of the code such as the GTM, the GTM Proxy, the 2PC transaction controller at the coordinator, changes required to guarantee global consistency of the data, and many distributed planner and executor pieces.

When Postgres-XL, a fork of Postgres-XC, was released to the public in 2014, Pavan once again became involved with the project and has been leading the development of Postgres-XL ever since. 

Pavan joined 2ndQuadrant not long after in April 2015, and once again started working with long time colleagues and friends; he and 2ndQuadrant have continued to actively work on the development of Postgres-XL. The focus area of development has been stability and performance of the product while keeping the fork as close to open source PostgreSQL as possible. The most recent release (Postgres-XL 10) supports intra-datanode query parallelism, thus taking distributed query processing to the next level.

In 2013, Pavan and two of his colleagues started the India PostgreSQL User Group. They started conducting small meet-ups, in order to promote the technology in India and bring the local community together. These small gatherings have now expanded with a membership of over 600 members, and into a full scale conference: PGConf India, Asia's largest PostgreSQL conference with more than 250 people in attendance each day in 2018. 

As part of the 2ndQuadrant team of PostgreSQL developers, Pavan continues to work on many interesting new features. He is an active part of the production support team and also has the opportunity to investigate interesting customer problems, often leading to important and critical bug fixes to the open source project.

Pavan had this to say about his involvement with the project:

“I love PostgreSQL and the PostgreSQL community, so you will continue to see me around.”

As part of the countdown to Postgres Conference 2024, learn more about the engaging content and our speakers for this year in our Speaker Spotlight Series.

Manish Shah is founder and CEO of Datasparc, and brings expertise in product development, database security, and scalable cloud systems. His thought leadership and patent ownership in sensitive data discovery and protection underscore his ability to influence and innovate in the field.

Manish will present "Zero Trust database access with DBHawk". Read what Manish has to say about Postgres and why to attend his session:

Why should attendees come to your talk at Postgres Conference 2024? What would you like for them to take away from your session?

Join the session exploring critical database security and access challenges. Manish will dissect current issues and provide solutions for achieving precise zero-trust database access.

What is your favorite aspect of Postgres Conference?
Meeting face-to-face Postgres users.

What advice would you have for a Computer Science graduate or entry level developer who are interested in learning and engaging with Postgres and other open source technologies?
Learn SQL and other programming language. Install Postgres and start playing with it.

How do you see the use of open source technologies evolving over the next five years?
Businesses are recognizing the value of open source software, and its adoption in the enterprise is expected to grow.

What considerations should be taken for the adoption and use of Postgres and related open source technologies?
Strong security and reliable support are crucial for wider adoption of Postgres. After all, data is an organization's most valuable asset.

Check out the full schedule for PostgresConf US 2024. Learn more about our conference here and buy your tickets soon!

We are pleased to announce a partnership between Redgate and PgCentral Foundation, Inc., to return Postgres Conference to Seattle! We’ll be joining forces in their brand-new venue -- the Summit at the Seattle Convention Centre (SCC) -- during this year’s PASS Data Community Summit (PASS Summit).

The PASS Summit team has been working to create a more collaborative environment between professional data communities. The new venue for 2024 allows the perfect opportunity to host our People, Postgres, Data community for the Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 on November 6 and 7.

About PASS Summit

The PASS Summit has earned its reputation as the premier event for data security and database professionals. Since Redgate took ownership in 2021, the event has continued to offer unmatched learning opportunities, covering a wide range of data platforms including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, AWS, Google Cloud, and more. This year’s summit will take place in Seattle, from November 4-8, 2024, welcoming thousands of attendees eager to sharpen their skills and stay on the cutting edge of data management.

PASS Summit is not just about lectures and sessions –  it offers hands-on learning experiences, a vibrant community space, and networking opportunities with industry leaders. The event is known for its comprehensive sessions, keynotes by industry experts, and access to the latest tools and technologies that empower organizations to manage their data effectively. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, there’s something for everyone.

For more details about the summit, visit the official website: PASS Data Community Summit 2024

Highlights from Postgres Conference Seattle 2024

Alongside PASS Summit, Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 will also be taking place, making Seattle the hub of data learning in early November. Postgres Conference is the leading event dedicated to Postgres, an open-source database that has become essential for many modern organizations. This year’s event is powered by the joint efforts of Redgate and Command Prompt, Inc., and is priced at an affordable $599 through November 3rd.*

PostgresConf Seattle attendees will get exclusive access to certain elements of the PASS Data Community Summit, such as:

- PASS Summit Keynotes: Hear from influential figures shaping the future of data.

- PASS Ecosystem Sessions: Deep dives into data platforms and security.

- Community Zone: A space to collaborate with other professionals and expand your network.

- Exhibit Hall and Exhibitor Reception: Discover the latest tools and technologies from industry-leading vendors.

- Lunches, Refreshment Breaks, and Community Events: Plenty of opportunities to refuel and connect with peers.

This integration gives PostgreSQL enthusiasts a chance to engage in the broader data conversation while still enjoying tailored Postgres content.

Check out the event page here for more information on Postgres Conference Seattle 2024.

* Note: Postgres Conference: Seattle 2024 online registration closes November 3rd.  On-site registration will require the purchase of a PASS24 1-Day or 3-Day ticket, so don't delay!