Briefing Document: Rethinking Web Development with PostgreSQL

Date: October 26, 2023 Source: Excerpts from "I replaced my entire tech stack with Postgres..."
(YouTube video, assumed title) Author: Fireship (assumed author based on style and content)

Executive Summary:

This briefing document summarizes the main themes and important ideas presented in a YouTube
video titled "I replaced my entire tech stack with Postgres...". The video argues that modern web
development is overly complex and expensive due to reliance on numerous specialized tools and
SaaS providers. It proposes leveraging the power and extensibility of PostgreSQL as a central
database to handle a significant portion (up to 90%) of web development needs, effectively
replacing many common components like caching, job scheduling, search engines, and even
authentication. While acknowledging that this approach might not always be the best solution, the
video showcases various "unorthodox and just plain weird" ways to utilize PostgreSQL's features
and extensions to build a full-stack application with minimal external dependencies. The video is
sponsored by Neon, a serverless PostgreSQL platform.

Main Themes and Important Ideas:

1. Critique of Modern Web Development Complexity:

• The video opens by criticizing the trend of using numerous specialized tools and SaaS
services for web development.

• It argues that while these tools are technically advanced, they lead to increased costs and
complexity for even basic applications.

• Quote: "modern web development sucks we have amazing tools that solve every problem
and technically it's never been easier to build a billion dooll failed app idea the problem is
that by the time you deploy it you end up paying 20 different ycb startups to use their
fancy shovels."

• The author humorously suggests a correlation between the rise of Next.js and
homelessness, exaggerating the perceived over-engineering in modern frameworks.

1. PostgreSQL as a Versatile Alternative:

• The central thesis is that PostgreSQL, a relational database, can handle far more than just
data storage.

• Quote: "what if I told you you could throw all of these shovels in the incinerator and use
nothing but postgressql yes the relational database to achieve 90% of your web
development needs..."

• The video highlights PostgreSQL's inherent advantages:

• Advanced Data Types: Built-in support for binary JSON, arrays, key-value stores, and
geometric types.

• Extensibility: The ability to create custom data types and a rich ecosystem of extensions.

• Open Source and Free: Accessible without licensing costs.

1. Leveraging PostgreSQL Extensions for Common Web Development Needs:

• pg_cron: For scheduled jobs (Cron jobs). Quote: "postgress will actually give you a Cron job
for free if we install the PG cron extension..."

• Unlogged Tables: For implementing a basic in-memory cache (akin to Redis or Memcached)
by disabling write-ahead logging for performance.

• pgvector and pgai: For vector embeddings and nearest neighbor searches, potentially
replacing dedicated vector databases for AI applications (RAG). Quote: "...what you could
do instead is just install the PG Vector extension it provides a vector data type that allows
you to store multi-dimensional data..."

• Full-Text Search (Built-in tsvector): For implementing search functionality with ranking and
typo tolerance, offering an alternative to Algolia or Elasticsearch. Quote: "The postgress
actually has built-in support for this with the TS Vector type..."

• pg_graphql: To automatically generate a GraphQL API from the database schema,

• Electric SQL: A separate sync layer (not a PG extension) for building real-time applications,
similar to Firebase or Supabase real-time features.

• pgcrypto and pgjwt: For implementing custom authentication (hashing passwords and
generating/verifying JSON Web Tokens) and row-level security. Quote: "...real men roll
their own off entirely in postgress and that's possible when you combine a couple of
extensions like PG crypto crypto and PG Json web token..."

• pg_mooncake: For time-series data storage and analytics, potentially replacing Google
Analytics or dedicated time-series databases.

• PostgREST: To automatically create a RESTful API from the PostgreSQL database. Quote:
"...another option is post rest which automatically turns your database into a uccessful
API..."

• Storing Frontend Assets: Even the possibility of storing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript within
the database, and even running React server components within it, is mentioned to push
the boundaries of what's possible.

1. Important Caveats and Considerations:

• The video explicitly warns against blindly replacing all tools with PostgreSQL.

• Quote: "just because you can do something in postgress doesn't mean you should before
you go and cancel all your shovel subscriptions don't forget to think critically and make
sure you use the right tool for the job."

• The author emphasizes the importance of critically evaluating whether using PostgreSQL
for a specific task is the most efficient and maintainable solution.

1. Role of Neon as a Serverless PostgreSQL Platform:

• Features like branching and automatic scaling are highlighted as developer-friendly aspects
of Neon.

Quotes Highlighting Key Points:

• "but what if I told you you could throw all of these shovels in the incinerator and use
nothing but postgressql yes the relational database to achieve 90% of your web
development needs..."

• "out of the box postgress provides Advanced Data types like binary Json arrays key value
stores and even geometric types to Define shapes but more importantly it's extensible and
you can even create your own custom data types..."

• "developers only want one thing and it's disgusting a Chron job which is code that runs on
a schedule now normally you would have to edit the cron tab file on Linux to achieve this
or pay a sass to do it for you but postgress will actually give you a Cron job for free if we
install the PG cron extension..."

• "...in postgress you can create your own po man's redus by using an unlog table as a
cache..."

• "...you might consider paying for a vector database but what you could do instead is just
install the PG Vector extension it provides a vector data type that allows you to store
multi-dimensional data..."

• "the magic PG graphql extension can transform your database into a graphql API and that
makes it incredibly easy for any programming language to understand in query your
database..."

• "...real men roll their own off entirely in postgress and that's possible when you combine a
couple of extensions like PG crypto crypto and PG Json web token..."

• "...another option is post rest which automatically turns your database into a uccessful API
after you get it set up you'll be able to go into the browser then navigate to Local Host
followed by a table name and it will automatically query your postgress data and return it
in Json format..."

• "just because you can do something in postgress doesn't mean you should before you go
and cancel all your shovel subscriptions don't forget to think critically and make sure you
use the right tool for the job."

Conclusion:

The video presents a compelling, albeit somewhat radical, argument for consolidating web
development infrastructure around PostgreSQL. By leveraging its advanced features and a rich
ecosystem of extensions, developers can potentially reduce their reliance on numerous external
services and simplify their tech stack, leading to potential cost savings and reduced complexity.
However, the video also wisely advises critical thinking and choosing the right tool for the job,
acknowledging that PostgreSQL might not be the optimal solution for every use case. The
sponsorship by Neon highlights the growing trend of serverless PostgreSQL platforms that further
enhance the accessibility and scalability of this powerful database. The video serves as a thought-
provoking exploration of PostgreSQL's capabilities and challenges the conventional wisdom of
modern web development practices.