7 Must-Have Tools For Developers That Use PostgreSQL

EverSQL

EverSQL is an AI-Powered query optimization tool, designed to help developers boost their SQL performance.

It is a cloud-based platform, a completely non-intrusive solution for database performance analysis. It uses machine-learning to analyze the database’s slow query logs, give actionable performance insights over time, and produces rewritten queries optimized for performance. All that, without access to the data itself.

The platform also has free features such as an SQL Syntax Checker and a Query Beautifier.

Pros:

• Helps identify and fix database performance issues, and high CPU load
• Saves time on queries performance tuning
• Free performance monitoring solution
• Reduce the need to hire a DBA or Performance expert
• Solves performance issues before user experience.
• Shows the magic - helps developers become better SQL writers.

Cons:

• NoSQL is currently not supported

Free Trial: EverSQL free trial

Retool

Retool is a low-code platform that lets you build shared internal tools easily and quickly.

The tool interfaces with dozens of external services, which enables developing custom micro-apps for increasing efficiency of internal processes and repeated tasks.

Connecting to your databases and API’s, Building tables and forms using the Drag & Drop building blocks, and interacting with your data using SQL and JavaScript, makes it simple to develop internal apps.

Pros:

• Intuitive drag & drop interface, useful for even non-tech-oriented team members.
• Integrates with dozens of databases and API’s
• Extensive library of components, templates of familiar apps.

Areas to improve:

• Mobile support is in the work, and expected to be better in the coming months
• Additional pricing of certain features.

Discounted Plan: Plan For Startups

PgBench

pgbench is an application for running benchmark tests on PostgreSQL. This is an essential tool for PostgreSQL performance tuning.

When trying to measure a database’s performance, one of the challenges is generating enough stimulated database load to stress the database.

PgBench can test your database performance using its own sample database, or run custom queries on your application database.

Redash

Redash is an open-source Business Intelligence tool for visualizing SQL queried data. It’s a cloud-based platform on which you can query your data and build dashboards off of it.

Redash makes it easy to run SQL queries and generate high quality tables and visualizations. Search and filtering on top of your queries is automated, making setup of high-value reports simple and quick.

Pros:

• Drag & Drop functionality, resize any visualization in a single dashboard.
• Schedule automatic updating of dashboards from your data sources.
• Easy sharing of dashboards with your team for peer review of reports.
• SQL editor which takes advantage of the Schema Browser and autocomplete functionality, enabling users to query data easily.
• Web-based tool, no need to set up environments.

Cons:

• Users should need to know SQL to use.
• Platform mainly used for a single data source.

Metabase

Metabase is an open-source data visualizer. It’s a business intelligence tool for users who are not fluent in SQL, or need to share their data insights with team members who don’t know SQL.

Metabase integrates with your database, lets you create queries using intuitive questioning (no SQL), and visualize your findings in a flexible way.

Pros:

• Intuitive UI
• Easy for colleagues to modify filters.
• Easy to share with relevant team members.
• Scheduled report sharing via mail.
• Simple table joining on keys.
• A native SQL editor is available for advanced users.

Cons:

• Does not offer ad-hoc reports, benchmarking, NLG, performance metrics, predictive analytics.
• Data governance is limited.
• High price tag, limits to mostly enterprise.

Free Plan:** Metabase Open-Source Edition**

TimescaleDB

TimescaleDB is the open-source time-series database, designed for analytics and data-intensive applications.

It is built upon the PostgreSQL relational database, and optimized for fast ingest and complex queries. As it is a PostgreSQL extension, it inherits tools like pg_backup and pg_dumb, among other high availability tools, which gives it a heads up over other time-series databases.

Pros:

• TimescaleDB claims to have 10-100x performance compared to PostgreSQL
• supports time-series data
• Can be fully managed on AWS, Azure and GCP.
• 94-97% compression rates from best-in-class algorithms.
• Full ecosystem of PostgreSQL plug-ins

Cons:

• Fixed schema complicates the process before ingestion.

Beekeeper Studio

Beekeeper Studio is our app - a database management desktop application with great support for PostgreSQL. We’re focused on providing a modern and easy to use interface for database management.

Pros:

• A cross-platform desktop application that works the same on MacOS, Linux, and Windows.
• Easy to use, with a modern interface, and a nice dark mode 🌙.
• Visually edit data and table schemas with a simple Excel-like interface.
• Supports multiple database engines, but we really like PostgreSQL and use it ourselves.
• Most of the code is open source, and we provide a free community edition.

Cons:

• No visual report or dashboard capabilities
• Users need to know SQL to use.
• Doesn’t have a suite of built-in powertools needed by some full time DBAs

You can download Beekeeper Studio here, or see our GitHub for the community edition.

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