Question 1

How to set up pg_paxos for table replication in PostgreSQL?

Accepted Answer

Install the extension from source, enable it in postgresql.conf, create the table on all nodes, then use paxos_create_group and paxos_join_group functions to form the replication group. The README provides step-by-step examples with connection strings.

Question 2

pg_paxos vs PostgreSQL logical replication – which should I use?

Accepted Answer

pg_paxos provides strong consistency and fault tolerance via Paxos consensus, ideal for critical data, while logical replication is built-in, more mature, and better for asynchronous scenarios. Choose pg_paxos only if you need guaranteed consistency and can handle its experimental nature.

Question 3

Is pg_paxos production-ready?

Accepted Answer

No, the README states it's experimental and in an early stage, so it's not recommended for production environments without thorough testing and understanding of its limitations, such as potential instability.

Question 4

How does pg_paxos handle network partitions?

Accepted Answer

Based on Paxos, it can tolerate minority failures, but during partitions where a majority cannot be reached, writes may block to maintain consistency, potentially causing availability issues until the partition resolves.

Question 5

What are the performance costs of using pg_paxos?

Accepted Answer

Each operation requires Paxos consensus, involving multiple network rounds and logging, which increases latency. The optimistic consistency model can reduce read latency but sacrifices strong consistency in failure scenarios.

Question 6

Can I use pg_paxos for leader election in a cluster?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the paxos function can be called directly to achieve consensus on values like 'primary = node-a', making it suitable for distributed tasks such as leader election, as shown in the algorithm examples.

pg_paxos

What is pg_paxos?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions