We’re excited to announce the preview release of PostgreSQL 18 on Azure Database for PostgreSQL! This release unlocks a number of powerful new features and enhancements that will bring improved performance, better developer experience, and stronger security and manageability for your workloads. Starting this week, customers can begin testing PG-18 in preview, giving you early access before we move toward general availability. Initially available in the East Asia* region.
What’s New in PostgreSQL 18?
PostgreSQL 18 is one of the more ambitious major releases in recent years. Here are some of the top features and improvements that stand out, especially for managed service users in Azure:
| Feature | What It Is / Why It Matters | Benefits in Azure Flexible Server |
|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous I/O (AIO) | Introduces async I/O with non-blocking reads (io_uring / workers). Applies to scans & vacuum.SET io_method = 'io_uring'; | Lower query latency and better throughput on read-heavy workloads with no app changes. |
| Vacuuming enhancements | Global VACUUM truncation toggle, runtime-adjustable autovacuum_max_workers, and autovacuum_vacuum_max_threshold for large tables. | Fewer replication conflicts, faster catch-up during maintenance, less bloat on big tables. |
| Virtual generated columns | Default in PG18: values computed on read, not stored.CREATE TABLE receipts (... tax DECIMAL GENERATED ALWAYS AS (...)); | Smaller tables, easier schema evolution, no redundant storage or triggers needed. |
| UUIDv7 support | Timestamp-ordered UUIDs improve index locality.SELECT uuidv7(); | Reduced index bloat and better performance for high-volume insert workloads. |
| B-Tree Skip Scan | Planner can now use multi-column indexes even if leading columns aren’t filtered.CREATE INDEX idx ON sales(dept, sdate);SELECT * FROM sales WHERE sdate BETWEEN '2025-01-01' AND '2025-01-31'; | Better query plans, fewer redundant indexes, lower storage/maintenance costs. |
| Logical Replication & DDL | Supports parallel streaming, conflict reporting, and replication of generated columns.CREATE SUBSCRIPTION sub1 CONNECTION '...' PUBLICATION pub1; | More reliable multi-region HA/DR setups with evolving schemas. |
| Other enhancements | - EXPLAIN ANALYZE shows buffer usage by default.- Temporal WITHOUT OVERLAPS constraints.- RETURNING now supports OLD and NEW values.- COPY optimized with parallelization. - MD5 deprecated in favor of SCRAM. - SIMD JSON optimizations. - New PG_UNICODE_FAST collation type. | Smoother debugging, auditing, data loading, and enterprise-grade security out-of-the-box. New statistics in pg_aios, pg_stat_database, pg_stat_statements, and pg_backend_memory_contents. |
👉 For the complete list of PostgreSQL 18 changes and enhancements, refer to the official PostgreSQL 18 release notes.
What Azure Database for PostgreSQL Customers Can Benefit From
Here are a few usage scenarios where PG-18 in Azure will unlock real value:
- Read-intensive analytics or reporting workloads: With improved I/O (AIO), skip scans, and better index utilization, queries will run faster and more predictably.
- Schema-evolving SaaS applications: If you frequently change schema or add derived data, virtual generated columns and better logical replication help reduce overhead.
- Global / multi-region replication: More features for logical replication and schema changes reduce friction.
- Data ingestion / ETL workloads: Parallel COPY, improved COPY performance, and bulk load optimizations reduce time & cost.
- Security / compliance: OAuth2 support, stronger constraint behaviors, etc., help meet standards (especially for enterprise customers).
Roadmap & What’s Next
- Preview period: PG-18 preview will be available in selected Azure regions to start. We encourage you to try it, provide feedback, and report any issues.
- General Availability: PG-18 will move to GA through a phased rollout across regions, extensions, and tooling shortly after the preview period.
- Upgrade support: In-place major version upgrade to PG-18 will be offered alongside the GA release.
Preview limitations
- Microsoft Entra ID authentication not yet available in preview (support coming soon).
- Limited extension availability (see supported list).
- Query store and index tuning not available.
- Available only in East Asia region during preview.
These limitations apply only during preview and will be removed with General Availability.
Try It Out & Share Feedback
Provision a Flexible Server with PostgreSQL 18 (Preview) and validate your workloads—queries, schema migrations, replication, and more. Your feedback will help refine the release ahead of GA. Share input through support channels or post directly in our feedback forum at aka.ms/pgfeedback.
PostgreSQL 18 brings major advances in performance, security, and flexibility to Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Stay tuned as we roll out toward GA.
Microsoft