Just Use Postgres

Most developers know Postgres as a reliable relational database, but few realize it can also store and query JSON documents, perform full-text search, power generative AI with vector embeddings, handle time-series data, manage geospatial queries, and even function as a message queue. 'Just Use Postgres!' by Denis Magda is a practical, chapter-by-chapter tour through these capabilities, each grounded in a realistic application scenario (a music streaming service, a pizza chain, a multiplayer game, a smartwatch app, and more). Through runnable Docker-based examples and clear SQL, the book shows application developers exactly how to extend a single Postgres instance—often with an extension—rather than adding a second or third specialized database to their stack. It covers modern SQL features like CTEs and window functions, the full range of index types, the pgvector extension for RAG and similarity search, TimescaleDB for time-series hypertables, PostGIS for geodata, and pgmq for lightweight message queues, closing with honest guidance on when Postgres is not the right tool.

What it argues

A causal model describing how developer knowledge of Postgres capabilities, deliberate selection of extensions, and correct application of indexes and SQL features combine to produce application performance, operational simplicity, and developer productivity outcomes.