April 2026 Recap: Azure Database for PostgreSQL
April brought several updates for Azure Database for PostgreSQL, focused on improving developer productivity, strengthening security and connectivity, and helping customers scale and optimize their PostgreSQL workloads. From new Entra ID token refresh libraries across .NET, JavaScript, and Python to simplify authentication, to guidance on migrating from VNet to Private Endpoint capable configurations, we continue to make it easier to build and manage secure applications. We also introduced enhancements to the PostgreSQL VS Code extension and published deep dives on query performance, data modeling, and real-world scaling patterns. We also published a blog on how PostgreSQL enters its AI era, which explores ways with which developers can adapt PostgreSQL to meet the needs of AI-driven and rapidly growing applications, with practical guidance on running and scaling PostgreSQL more effectively in these evolving workloads. POSETTE 2026 Before we dive deeper into the feature updates, POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2026 is just around the corner, PostgreSQL’s free, virtual conference bringing together the global community. Taking place from June 16–18, the event will feature four livestream tracks with a strong lineup of content, including 44 sessions, 2 keynotes, and 50 speakers. It’s a great opportunity to hear from PostgreSQL experts, learn about the latest trends, and discover real-world best practices across a wide range of topics. Register today for updates and be part of three days of learning, insights, and community-driven discussions across a wide range of PostgreSQL topics. Features Entra-ID token refresh libraries for .NET, JavaScript, and Python: Preview Migrating from VNet to Private Endpoint: Preview New enhancements in the PostgreSQL VS Code Extension Improving Query Performance and Modeling in PostgreSQL Scaling PostgreSQL for Real-World Application Workloads Learning Bytes: Preventing accidental server deletion Entra-ID Token refresh libraries: .NET, JavaScript and Python We’ve introduced Entra ID token refresh libraries for .NET, JavaScript, and Python to simplify how applications authenticate with Azure Database for PostgreSQL using Entra ID. When using Entra ID–based authentication, access tokens are short-lived and need to be refreshed periodically. This often requires additional logic in the application to handle expiration, retries, and reconnection scenarios. These new libraries take care of that complexity by automatically refreshing tokens behind the scenes, so applications can maintain uninterrupted database connections without custom token management. With built-in support for token renewal, these libraries help: Reduce the need for manual token refresh logic in your application code Improve reliability for long-running or connection-pooled workloads Simplify adoption of Entra ID authentication across different language stacks Whether you're building new applications or migrating existing ones to use Entra ID, these libraries make it easier to integrate secure, passwordless authentication while keeping connection handling straightforward. Migrating from VNet to Private Endpoint Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server can now be migrated from a VNet‑integrated deployment to a network configuration that supports Private Endpoint connectivity. Servers originally deployed inside a VNet may require greater flexibility in networking management. Private Endpoints provide a simpler and more scalable model. Following migration, private access to the server continues over Azure’s backbone network, dependency on delegated subnets is reduced, and database networking can be better aligned with evolving architectural or organizational standards. The migration can be initiated through Azure CLI, API, or SDK and is designed to be straightforward. Although the operation involves a period of downtime, it enables adoption of Private Endpoint connectivity without recreating the server or manually moving data. After migration, Private Endpoints or firewall rules can be configured based on the desired access model, and infrastructure-as-code templates can be updated accordingly. Read more here: Migrate from VNet to a Private Endpoint Capable Network Configuration | Microsoft Learn New enhancements in the PostgreSQL VS Code Extension The latest release (v1.21) of the PostgreSQL VS Code extension delivers enhancements to query authoring and analysis workflows, improved cross-extension interoperability, reliability improvements across Object Explorer and connection management, and a set of targeted bug fixes. Schema-Aware Query Creation: You can now open a new query directly from a schema in Object Explorer, automatically setting the appropriate search_path so unqualified object names resolve correctly without additional setup. Query Plan Visualization Enhancements: The query plan visualizer now uses PostgreSQL-specific node icons across all views, making it easier to identify scan, join, and aggregate operations during performance analysis. Improved Multi-Extension Compatibility: The extension now coordinates editor ownership with the MSSQL extension when both are installed, reducing duplicate UI actions and avoiding conflicts in query execution workflows. Object Explorer Reliability Improvements: The Object Explorer has been refactored for more consistent refresh, expansion, and reconnection behavior, especially in long-running sessions and databases with many schemas. Enhanced IntelliSense Behavior: IntelliSense now respects the configured search_path, improving the relevance of suggestions and helping you work more efficiently across schemas. Bug Fixes: This release includes fixes across object scripting (including partitioned tables), connection profile handling, Docker container creation, and initial extension setup for improved reliability and stability. Improving Query Performance and Modeling in PostgreSQL This month, we also shared a set of technical blogs highlighting advanced PostgreSQL scenarios and practical guidance for real-world workloads: Guide on workload observability with Query store: This blog dives into how Query Store can be used to gain end-to-end visibility into query performance across both primary and replica nodes. It highlights the importance of understanding query behavior in distributed setups and how bottlenecks can surface differently across nodes. The post also shares practical guidance on using these insights to troubleshoot issues and optimize workload performance effectively. Guide on Common Table Expressions(CTEs) with Data Skew: This deep dive unpacks a complex query planning scenario in PostgreSQL v17, where data skew can lead to unexpected and suboptimal execution plans involving CTEs. It explains why the optimizer may choose inefficient plans and how this impacts real-world workloads. The blog also outlines strategies to diagnose and mitigate these issues, helping users better predict and tune query performance. Guide on PostgreSQL as a Graph Database: This blog explains how PostgreSQL can be leveraged to model and query graph-like relationships, making it highly relevant for AI-driven applications. It demonstrates how relational capabilities can be extended to support graph workloads without introducing additional systems. The post also highlights practical patterns and use cases that enable developers to build more connected, intelligent applications using PostgreSQL as a unified data platform. Scaling PostgreSQL for Real-World Application Workloads Alongside performance tuning and data modeling topics, we also explored how PostgreSQL behaves under real-world application patterns especially in scenarios involving high concurrency, background job processing, and connection-heavy workloads. These blogs focus on common architectural choices developers make and the trade-offs to consider when scaling reliably. Guide on using Postgres as a Job Queue: Thisblog takes a deeper look at the implications of using PostgreSQL as a job queue, a pattern commonly adopted for simplicity and tighter integration. It walks through how queue-like workloads can introduce contention due to frequent updates, row locking, and long-running transactions. The post highlights how these patterns can impact throughput, vacuum efficiency, and overall database health as scale increases. It also discusses when this approach is appropriate, and when teams should consider dedicated queuing systems to avoid performance bottlenecks. Guide on Connection Scaling with Elastic Clusters: This blog dives into the challenges of handling large volumes of concurrent connections, which is a common bottleneck for modern, microservices-based applications. It explains how Elastic Clusters help distribute connections and workload across multiple nodes, improving scalability and resilience under heavy load. The post also touches on connection management patterns, including pooling strategies, and how they work in conjunction with Elastic Clusters to prevent resource exhaustion and ensure consistent performance at scale. Azure Postgres Learning Bytes 🎓 Preventing accidental server deletion In production environments, accidental deletions can lead to significant downtime and data loss. To safeguard critical resources like Azure Database for PostgreSQL servers, Azure provides resource locks that add an extra layer of protection beyond standard role-based access control (RBAC). A commonly used option is the CanNotDelete (Delete Lock), which ensures that a resource cannot be deleted even by users with elevated permissions until the lock is explicitly removed. You can apply a delete lock easily using the Azure CLI by targeting the specific resource: az lock create --name PreventDelete --lock-type CanNotDelete --resource-group <rg-name> --resource-type Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers --resource-name <resource-name></resource-name></rg-name> Once applied, any delete operation on the resource will be blocked, helping prevent accidental or unintended deletions during maintenance, deployments, or testing. Locks can be applied at different levels subscription, resource group, or individual resources allowing flexibility based on your protection needs. For more details and step-by-step guidance, read our blog on Preventing accidental deletion of an Azure PostgreSQL Instance.August 2025 Recap: Azure Database for PostgreSQL
Hello Azure Community, August was an exciting month for Azure Database for PostgreSQL! We have introduced updates that make your experience smarter and more secure. From simplified Entra ID group login to integrations with LangChain and LangGraph, these updates help with improving access control and seamless integration for your AI agents and applications. Stay tuned as we dive deeper into each of these feature updates. Feature Highlights Enhanced Performance recommendations for Azure Advisor - Generally Available Entra-ID group login using user credentials - Public Preview New Region Buildout: Austria East LangChain and LangGraph connector Active-Active Replication Guide Enhanced Performance recommendations for Azure Advisor - Generally Available Azure Advisor now offers enhanced recommendations to further optimize PostgreSQL server performance, security, and resource management. These key updates are as follows: Index Scan Insights: Detection and recommendations for disabled index and index-only scans to improve query efficiency. Audit Logging Review: Identification of excessive logging via the pgaudit.log parameter, with guidance to reduce overhead. Statistics Monitoring: Alerts on server statistics resets and suggestions to restore accurate performance tracking. Storage Optimization: Analysis of storage usage with recommendations to enable the Storage Autogrow feature for seamless scaling. Connection Management: Evaluation of workloads for short-lived connections and frequent connectivity errors, with recommendations to implement PgBouncer for efficient connection pooling. These enhancements aim to provide deeper operational insights and support proactive performance tuning for PostgreSQL workloads. For more details read the Performance recommendations documentation. Entra-ID group login using user credentials - Public Preview The public preview for Entra-ID group login using user credentials is now available. This feature simplifies user management and improves security within the Azure Database for PostgreSQL. This allows administrators and users to benefit from a more streamlined process like: Changes in Entra-ID group memberships are synchronized on a periodic 30min basis. This scheduled syncing ensures that access controls are kept up to date, simplifying user management and maintaining current permissions. Users can log in with their own credentials, streamlining authentication, and improving auditing and access management for PostgreSQL environments. As organizations continue to adopt cloud-native identity solutions, this update represents a major improvement in operational efficiency and security for PostgreSQL database environments. For more details read the documentation on Entra-ID group login. New Region Buildout: Austria East New region rollout! Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server is now available in Austria East, giving customers in and around the region lower latency and data residency options. This continues our mission to bring Azure PostgreSQL closer to where you build and run your apps. For the full list of regions visit: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Regions. LangChain and LangGraph connector We are excited to announce that native LangChain & LangGraph support is now available for Azure Database for PostgreSQL! This integration brings native support for Azure Database for PostgreSQL into LangChain or LangGraph workflows, enabling developers to use Azure PostgreSQL as a secure and high-performance vector store and memory store for their AI agents and applications. Specifically, this package adds support for: Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) authentication when connecting to your Azure Database for PostgreSQL instances, and, DiskANN indexing algorithm when indexing your (semantic) vectors. This package makes it easy to connect LangChain to your Azure-hosted PostgreSQL instances whether you're building intelligent agents, semantic search, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems. Read more at https://aka.ms/azpg-agent-frameworks Active-Active Replication Guide We have published a new blog article that guides you through setting up active-active replication in Azure Database for PostgreSQL using the pglogical extension. This walkthrough covers the fundamentals of active-active replication, key prerequisites for enabling bi-directional replication, and step-by-step demo scripts for the setup. It also compares native and pglogical approaches helping you choose the right strategy for high availability, and multi-region resilience in production environments. Read more about the active-active replication guide on this blog. Azure Postgres Learning Bytes 🎓 Enabling Zone-Redundant High Availability for Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server Using APIs. High availability (HA) is essential for ensuring business continuity and minimizing downtime in production workloads. With Zone-Redundant HA, Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server automatically provisions a standby replica in a different availability zone, providing stronger fault tolerance against zone-level failures. This section will guide you on how to enable Zone-Redundant HA using REST APIs. Using REST APIs gives you clear visibility into the exact requests and responses, making it easier to debug issues and validate configurations as you go. You can use any REST API client tool of your choice to perform these operations including Postman, Thunder Client (VS Code extension), curl, etc. to send requests and inspect the results directly. Before enabling Zone-Redundant HA, make sure your server is on the General Purpose or Memory Optimized tier and deployed in a region that supports it. If your server is currently using Same-Zone HA, you must first disable it before switching to Zone-Redundant. Steps to Enable Zone-Redundant HA: Get an ARM Bearer token: Run this in a terminal where Azure CLI is signed in (or use Azure Cloud Shell) az account get-access-token --resource https://management.azure.com --query accessToken -o tsv Paste token in your API client tool Authorization: `Bearer <token>` </token> Inspect the server (GET) using the following URL: https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/{{subscriptionId}}/resourceGroups/{{resourceGroup}}/providers/Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers/{{serverName}}?api-version={{apiVersion}} In the JSON response, note: sku.tier → must be 'GeneralPurpose' or 'MemoryOptimized' properties.availabilityZone → '1' or '2' or '3' (depends which availability zone that was specified while creating the primary server, it will be selected by system if the availability zone is not specified) properties.highAvailability.mode → 'Disabled', 'SameZone', or 'ZoneRedundant' properties.highAvailability.state → e.g. 'NotEnabled','CreatingStandby', 'Healthy' If HA is currently SameZone, disable it first (PATCH) using API. Use the same URL in Step 3, in the Body header insert: { "properties": { "highAvailability": { "mode": "Disabled" } } } Enable Zone Redundant HA (PATCH) using API: Use the same URL in Step 3, in the Body header insert: { "properties": { "highAvailability": { "mode": "ZoneRedundant" } } } Monitor until HA is Healthy: Re-run the GET from Step 3 every 30-60 seconds until you see: "highAvailability": { "mode": "ZoneRedundant", "state": "Healthy" } Conclusion That’s all for our August 2025 feature updates! We’re committed to making Azure Database for PostgreSQL better with every release, and your feedback plays a key role in shaping what’s next. 💬 Have ideas, questions, or suggestions? Share them with us: https://aka.ms/pgfeedback 📢 Want to stay informed about the latest features and best practices? Follow us here for the latest announcements, feature releases, and best practices: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Blog More exciting improvements are on the way—stay tuned for what’s coming next!
