Abstract: HUAWEI CLOUD RDS for PostgreSQL uses the plug-in management function to solve the coupling problem between PostgreSQL version and plug-in, and helps users to install and manage database plug-ins more intuitively and quickly.
This article is shared from Huawei Cloud Community " There are so many PostgreSQL plug-ins, how to manage them most efficiently?" ", by GaussDB Database.
In the cloud service environment, how to make it easier for customers to install plug-ins and extensions in various PostgreSQL versions has become a challenge for cloud service vendors. HUAWEI CLOUD RDS for PostgreSQL uses the plug-in management function to solve the coupling problem between PostgreSQL versions and plug-ins, helping users install and manage database plug-ins more intuitively and quickly.
About the PostgreSQL plugin
As we all know, PostgreSQL supports many plug-ins, including third-party plug-ins.
- Since the development of PostgreSQL, HUAWEI CLOUD has evolved from PostgreSQL 9.5 to PostgreSQL 14. It currently supports 7 major versions. The plug-ins that each major version can support are not exactly the same. Therefore, it becomes cumbersome to determine which plug-ins are supported by each version. .
- As we know, when some plugins are installed, the parameter shared_preload_libraries must be modified, and manual modification is time-consuming and laborious.
- Only the super user can install the plug-in, and the super user has too much authority and can perform many high-risk operations, which may cause very serious impacts such as abnormal unavailability of the cloud database.
From the above, it can be seen that the installation and management of PostgreSQL plug-ins is relatively complicated. In order to make it easier for customers to install plug-ins, HUAWEI CLOUD has developed a plug-in management function. Customers only need to click on the plug-in to be installed on the interactive interface, and the subsequent installation will be completed by the HUAWEI CLOUD background, which is simple and convenient, saving time and effort.
RDS for PostgreSQL plug-in management function
PostgreSQL supports many plug-ins, and users cannot clearly and intuitively see which plug-ins are installed in the current database. The plug-in management function of HUAWEI CLOUD displays all the plug-ins supported by the current database in a list form, which is convenient for users to view and install.
As mentioned above, when some plug-ins of PostgreSQL are installed, the parameter shared_preload_libraries needs to be modified. The plug-in management function of Huawei Cloud also supports modification of this parameter. There are two modification methods, which can be used flexibly:
Method 1: Modify the shared_preload_libraries parameter in batches through the parameter value management function .
Method 2: Before installing the plug-in, modify the parameter value separately to load the corresponding plug-in library.
Precautions
After the shared_preload_libraries parameter is modified, the instance needs to be restarted to take effect. For PostgreSQL services that include read-only instances, after modifying the parameters of the main instance, the parameters of the read-only instances will be automatically modified synchronously. When restarting the instance, the read-only instance needs to be restarted at the same time.
When using some plugins, you need to add the corresponding GUC parameters at the same time to use them normally. For example, for the pg_cron plugin, you need to modify the parameter "cron.database_name" to the database you want to use.
When some plugins are installed or uninstalled, their dependent plugins and related dependency tables will be installed or uninstalled synchronously. For example: the postgis_sfcgal plugin depends on the postgis plugin. When the plugin postgis_sfcgal is created, the postgis plugin will be automatically and synchronously created first; at the same time, when the postgis plugin is uninstalled, the postgis_sfcgal plugin will be uninstalled synchronously.
conclusion
The HUAWEI CLOUD RDS for PostgreSQL plug-in management function helps users solve the tedious task of finding which plug-ins are supported by the current version; and the problem of not knowing how to install the plug-in and the complicated installation operation after knowing the method, which improves the user experience of plug-in installation.
Technology is endless. In the field of cloud database usage, there are still many areas that we need to optimize and solve, such as how to help users identify possible risks in the current database, view the TOP SQL in the current database, and how to help customers better manage the database and account number and so on. We will optimize these points in the future to bring more surprises to customers.
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