heroku-pg-extras
A Heroku CLI plugin providing shortcuts to common Postgres introspection queries for performance analysis.
What is heroku-pg-extras?
Heroku PG Extras is a Heroku CLI plugin that provides a collection of commands for introspecting and diagnosing Heroku Postgres database performance. It simplifies accessing PostgreSQL system statistics—like cache hit ratios, index usage, locks, and query performance—helping developers identify bottlenecks and optimize their database workloads without manual SQL queries.
Developers and DevOps engineers who manage applications on Heroku with Postgres databases and need to monitor performance, troubleshoot issues, or optimize queries.
It offers a curated, command-line interface to essential PostgreSQL diagnostic data specifically for Heroku's platform, saving time over writing raw SQL and making performance insights immediately actionable.
Overview
A heroku plugin for awesome pg:* commands that are also great and fun and super.
Use Cases
Best For
- Identifying slow or inefficient queries in a Heroku Postgres database
- Analyzing index usage and finding unused indexes to improve write performance
- Diagnosing database lock contention and blocking queries
- Monitoring buffer cache efficiency to determine if a database plan needs scaling
- Investigating table bloat and vacuum statistics for maintenance tuning
- Getting a quick size breakdown of tables and indexes
Not Ideal For
- Teams using PostgreSQL on platforms other than Heroku (e.g., AWS RDS, self-hosted instances)
- Projects requiring real-time, automated monitoring dashboards with alerts
- Developers who prefer graphical database management tools over command-line interfaces
Pros & Cons
Pros
Commands like `pg:outliers` and `pg:calls` provide immediate visibility into slow and frequently executed queries, listing execution times and call counts without manual SQL writing.
With `pg:locks` and `pg:blocking`, it quickly identifies queries holding exclusive locks, helping resolve database hangs and contention issues directly from the CLI.
Offers commands for table sizes, index usage, and bloat estimation (e.g., `pg:table-size`, `pg:bloat`), essential for maintenance and scaling decisions on Heroku Postgres.
Tailored for Heroku's platform, with insights like cache hit ratios from `pg:cache-hit` to determine if database plans need scaling, making performance tuning actionable.
Cons
Exclusively designed for Heroku Postgres, so it cannot be used with self-hosted or other cloud PostgreSQL instances, limiting its utility outside Heroku.
All interactions are through the command line, which may be less accessible for teams accustomed to visual tools like pgAdmin or dashboard-based monitoring.
Marked as beta software in the README, it might have undiscovered bugs, incomplete features, or lack the stability and support of production-ready tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
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