Postgres 18: Performance gains and new capabilities explained
Postgres 18 lands with a mix of performance improvements and practical features designed for modern workloads. Among the standout claims are three times faster asynchronous queries, a new approach to virtual columns, and authentication enhancements that streamline secure access—thanks in part to OAuth 2 compatibility. For developers and operators alike, the release promises tangible gains in throughput, flexibility, and security. Here’s what to know and how to plan a smooth upgrade.
Threefold speed boost for asynchronous queries
The headline performance story for Postgres 18 is a marked increase in the efficiency of asynchronous queries. By refining the executor path, enhancing parallelism, and optimizing how background workers schedule work, the database can handle I/O-bound workloads more effectively. In practice, applications that rely on non-blocking data access—such as real-time dashboards, messaging systems, and analytics streaming—may experience lower latency and higher query throughput. The threefold improvement is most noticeable under workloads with many concurrent requests that are not strictly CPU-bound, where better overlap of I/O and computation translates directly into faster response times.
For operators, the improved scheduling means fewer stalls during peak times and more predictable tail latency. The result is a more responsive system without necessarily adding more hardware. Of course, real-world gains depend on workload characteristics, schema design, and how the queries are written, but the direction is clear: Postgres 18 makes asynchronous workloads sturdier and faster by default.
Virtual columns: computed values without extra storage
Virtual columns are a new feature that lets you expose computed expressions as if they were normal columns in query results. These columns aren’t physically stored, but they can participate in SELECT lists, predicates, and even certain indexing strategies in a carefully designed setup. This capability is a boon for analytics and reporting paths where you want to combine raw data with derived metrics without altering table schemas or incurring the cost of recomputing values on every read.
In practice, you can define a virtual column based on an expression over existing fields and reference it in WHERE clauses, JOINs, or aggregations as needed. That means you can simplify application code and dashboards, avoiding repetitive joins and subqueries. While virtual columns don’t replace materialized views where persistent precomputed results are required, they offer a lightweight, flexible alternative for frequently used derived values in normal query paths.
Access to old values on INSERT: auditing and versioning improvements
Postgres 18 introduces a feature that helps teams track and audit changes more effectively by enabling access to prior values during certain write operations. This capability supports more robust auditing, complex upsert workflows, and versioning scenarios where it is important to reference what existed before an insert operation. By providing access to “old” values in targeted contexts, developers can implement richer auditing trails, implement rule-based migrations, and build safer data-correcting procedures without resorting to separate backup or staging steps.
As with any feature involving historical state, best practices matter. It is advisable to plan what constitutes “old value” in your schema, ensure consistent transaction boundaries, and test thoroughly under realistic workloads to avoid unexpected side effects. In many cases, this feature will pair nicely with triggers or well-structured upsert logic to deliver clearer data lineage.
OAuth 2: stronger, simpler authentication
Security remains a priority for Postgres, and OAuth 2 support in Postgres 18 offers a modern path for authentication and authorization. Built to integrate with popular identity providers and enterprise IAM solutions, OAuth 2 enables single sign-on experiences and scalable access control for deployments ranging from single-node development setups to large cloud-native clusters. Operators can leverage token-based access, scopes, and short-lived credentials to minimize risk while simplifying user management across environments.
Practical guidance for upgrading
Before upgrading, assess compatibility by reviewing extension usage, driver compatibility, and any custom scripts that assume previous query planning behavior. Start with a non-prod environment to benchmark asynchronous workloads, test virtual-column logic against representative queries, and validate the end-to-end flow for the new old-value access feature. If you rely heavily on security automation, plan to test OAuth 2 authentication flows, including token refresh and revocation, in a staging cluster.
What this means for developers and operators
Postgres 18 combines performance uplift with new capabilities that align with cloud-native and data-analytic demands. Threefold faster asynchronous queries can reduce response time for high-concurrency apps, virtual columns simplify analytical expressions, and old-value access on INSERTs enhances auditing and complex data workflows. Together with OAuth 2, the release strengthens security while smoothing integration with external identity providers. For teams building scalable, secure data platforms, Postgres 18 offers meaningful improvements worth validating in both development and production pilots.
Getting the most from Postgres 18
To maximize gains, consider revisiting query plans, indexing strategies, and how you exploit virtual columns in frequently used read paths. Plan upgrade windows, ensure backups, and run a phased rollout to monitor performance and stability across workloads. With careful testing, Postgres 18 can deliver tangible benefits in throughput, latency, and security for modern database deployments.
