Three Resources to Start your journey in the PostgreSQL Community
I recently made the decision to become better versed in PostgreSQL. A part of my growth in the Python community came from learning about reliable publications for content. This is extremely important where now AI can quickly generate inconsistent content for ad-farms.
It's also important when a few companies dominate the landscape and explainers and much of the knowledge and trusted support often comes behind a Service-Level Agreement (SLA)1.
Lucky for me, I have connects from the super helpful Django community2 who are also in the postgres community. I asked my friend and Director for the United States PostgreSQL Association (PgUS), Elizabeth Garrett Christensen for a list of resources that people who want to get serious about postgres can rely on.
Use this as your resources for getting started in how to find reputable content in the PG community.
Planet PostgreSQL
planet.postgresql.org seems to be the OFFICIAL firehose of content from the community. This is great way to learn from a wide variety of folks that are connected with the community. You can also learn about companies and teams that contribute knowledge to the postgres ecosystem.
Postgres Weekly
Postgres Weekly is a weekly look and digest of news, events, and projects in the postgres community, straight to your inbox.
SIDE NOTE: Craig Kerstiens is the curator of the newsletter and an excellent follow on LinkedIn if you're looking for regular updates.
PGMustard Newlsetter and PostgresFM
PGMustard was personally mentioned by Elizabeth as a super helpful resource. I want to highlight the podcast PostgresFM which is managed by PGMustard's founder Michael Christofides and Nik Samokhvalov of Postgres AI.
PGMustard also a releases a monthly newsletter that primarily shares content on PostgreSQL performance.
A call for improvement
Elizabeth also shared this amazing thought with me.
In my opinion, and this is shared pretty widely in postgres, that the docs are good as reference material. But when it comes to actual examples, training, tutorials, etc. you are kind of on your own. That's kind of left to all the companies to help folks with. While its not great for postgres itself, its a good opportunity for all of us.
I felt this in my bones. I'm used to the Python community that has countless folks sharing their knowledge, not of the language, but also the ecosystem. I'm fortunate to know folks like Elizabeth, because I think folks getting started would have some trepidation connecting with folks in the community.
I believe that, as more and more content is outsourced to AI and big companies, silent communities will suffer. These resources serve as the starting point and will link to people and posts that you can follow to build your list of favorites. I hope I can help surface amazing compassionate folks like Elizabeth and others I've met in the recent months who are working to make the PostgreSQL community feel like this is a community you can call home.