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PostgreSQL’s long-standing recommendation to allocate 25% of system memory to shared_buffers dates back to version 8.3 (released in 2008) when typical system memory was measured in a handful of GB. Modern servers can provision hundreds of GB, and it is not unheard of to come across databases that approach 0.5 TB of RAM or more. The relationship between memory size, workload characteristics and buffer_pool performance is no longer obvious.
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Benchmarking huge_pages on a 128 GB PostgreSQL 18 system shows throughput gains are modest — but page table overhead at 4KB pages can consume up to 20% of total RAM. Use PSI to find where your system is actually stalling before making the call. Part 2 of 3.
Tuning shared_buffers isn't just about peak throughput — it's about how much CPU and disk I/O a system consumes per unit of work. The 25% default can require up to 5x more disk I/O than very low or very high allocation. Part 1 of 3.
A modern approach to IT observability inspired by hazard analysis. Learn how to improve system reliability, reduce monitoring complexity, and proactively manage service risks through Critical Control Points.
Sometimes, after using a tool for many years, you will discover a feature that totally changes how you do things. When it is a fundamental tool like “less”, it changes how you interact with many command line programs in Linux*.
Did you know that less can do far more than just press space to advance to the next page? I sure didn’t. Then one day I went down the rabbit …