The best new features in Postgres 18
Hi, I'm Jon. Welcome to my blog, where I bring you the latest topics in AI and technology in an easy-to-understand way. Today, I'll be talking about Postgres 18, the latest version of PostgreSQL (commonly known as Postgres), a popular database system. Postgres is a free, open-source database system widely used in web applications and business systems. This new version, released on September 25, 2025, adds compelling features such as improved performance and enhanced security. To make it easy to understand even for beginners, let's take a closer look at the benefits of the new version, explaining the terminology one by one.
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Postgres 18 Release Background and Overview
Postgres 18 was officially released by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group on September 25, 2025. It is one of several major annual updates, with beta versions released multiple times throughout the summer of 2025, and a final general availability (GA) release in late September. According to the official roadmap, Postgres is scheduled for minor updates every quarter, with additional releases released when important bug fixes or security patches are needed.
The main features of this version are faster I/O (input/output) processing, expanded SQL language support, and enhanced security. Database upgrades require a data dump and restore, or the pg_upgrade tool. Additionally, data checksums (a mechanism for verifying data integrity) are now enabled by default on new installations, supporting highly reliable operation.
- Release Date: September 25, 2025
- Key focus: improved performance, enhanced security, and more flexibility for developers
- Upgrade method: Dump/restore or pg_upgrade recommended
These changes are designed to enable businesses and developers to work with databases more efficiently. Immediately after the release, many engineers on X (formerly Twitter) shared posts saying, "I'm looking forward to the improved performance of Async I/O!", demonstrating the high level of interest.
Key New Features and Benefits of Postgres 18
Let's take a look at some of the best new features added in Postgres 18. We'll briefly explain the background of each feature and give an idea of the situations in which they can be useful, so that beginners can easily understand them. The information is based on official documentation and reliable media releases.
1. Asynchronous I/O support
One of the key features of Postgres 18 is asynchronous I/O, a mechanism that allows multiple operations to be performed simultaneously when the database reads and writes data. Previously, table scans (processes that search large amounts of data) and VACUUM (processes that clean up unnecessary data) took time, but asynchronous I/O can improve the speed by up to three times. For example, queries (queries to the database) can be executed faster because the processing is carried out in the background using the Linux io_uring interface.
- Benefit: Faster searches in large databases and improved website response times
- Application examples: Big data analysis and real-time applications
According to specialist media outlet InfoWorld, this feature will improve performance for both large and small workloads, giving developers greater flexibility.
2. OAuth 2.0 authentication support
In terms of security, a new authentication method called OAuth 2.0 has been added. OAuth is a mechanism for logging in using external services such as Google and Microsoft, making it easy to achieve single sign-on (the ability to use multiple services with a single login). Postgres 18 supports this at the database level, making it easier to manage users within a company.
- Benefit: Eliminates password management and reduces security risks
- Application examples: Cloud-based applications and team data sharing
This will strengthen database access control and enable operations suitable for modern cloud environments.
3. Native support for UUIDv7 and virtual generated columns
UUIDv7, a new version of UUID (Unique Identifier), a string used to uniquely identify data, is now supported as standard. UUIDv7 is easier to sort by time, improving index efficiency (a structure for fast searches) and increasing write and read speeds. Additionally, virtual generated columns (a virtual column that automatically displays calculation results) have been added, allowing data to be processed and displayed in real time.
- Benefits: Easier data organization and improved query performance
- Application examples: Log management and time series data processing
In X's posts, many people commented that "UUIDv7 reduces index overhead!", and it has been well received by backend engineers.
4. Other noteworthy features
Other additions include SQL language extensions (asynchronous support for MIN/MAX aggregation and adding casts to integer types), text search improvements, parallel streaming replication (faster data replication), and proactive VACUUM (automated maintenance). These enhancements strengthen SQL standard extensions and extension module versioning, providing greater developer flexibility.
- Improved text search: Smarter searches for document management
- Temporal constraints: Allows you to specify the validity period of data, which is useful for historical management
Tips for getting the most out of Postgres 18
When introducing Postgres 18, we recommend that you first try upgrading in a test environment. The official documentation provides a detailed description of changes from the beta version and a comprehensive migration guide. New extension features also make it easier to manage custom modules. For beginners, we recommend using Docker to easily set up and test Postgres.
Additionally, you can use AI-based Gamma as a database data visualization tool to turn Postgres query results into slides and documents for sharing.This article .
My Feelings, Then and Now
Postgres 18 is a release that paves the way for the future of databases with significant performance improvements and enhanced security. Features like asynchronous I/O and OAuth support will make your daily work smoother. I personally think this evolution of open source is a great example of promoting technology that is accessible to everyone. If you're interested, download it from the official website and give it a try. I'm sure it will open up new possibilities for your projects.
Reference sources
- PostgreSQL official website: https://www.postgresql.org/developer/roadmap/
- InfoWorld article: https://www.infoworld.com/article/4062619/the-best-new-features-in-postgres-18.html
- Nihar Daily: https://www.nihardaily.com/36-postgresql-18-new-features-performance-boosts-upgrade-guide-2025
- pgPedia: https://pgpedia.info/postgresql-versions/postgresql-18.html
- Neon Blog: https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-18-new-features
- Habr article: https://habr.com/en/companies/postgrespro/articles/950356
- Linux Compatible: https://linuxcompatible.org/story/postgresql-18-released
- Medium article: https://medium.com/@joyichiro/postgresql-18-the-new-era-of-postgres-and-what-backend-engineers-need-to-know-39cd6f34a032
- Peq42 Blog: https://peq42.com/blog/postgresql-18-released-with-major-io-and-performance-overhauls
- Linuxiac: https://linuxiac.com/postgresql-18-released-with-up-to-3-faster-io-and-easier-upgrades
- Related posts on X (formerly Twitter) (e.g., trending information from Ben Dicken, Tyler Shukert, Fauzaan, etc.)