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postgres-patterns

PostgreSQL database patterns for query optimization, schema design, indexing, and security. Based on Supabase best practices.

SKILL.md


PostgreSQL Patterns


Quick reference for PostgreSQL best practices. For detailed guidance, use the database-reviewer agent.


When to Activate


  • Writing SQL queries or migrations
  • Designing database schemas
  • Troubleshooting slow queries
  • Implementing Row Level Security
  • Setting up connection pooling

  • Quick Reference


    Index Cheat Sheet


    | Query Pattern | Index Type | Example |

    |--------------|------------|---------|

    | WHERE col = value | B-tree (default) | CREATE INDEX idx ON t (col) |

    | WHERE col > value | B-tree | CREATE INDEX idx ON t (col) |

    | WHERE a = x AND b > y | Composite | CREATE INDEX idx ON t (a, b) |

    | WHERE jsonb @> '{}' | GIN | CREATE INDEX idx ON t USING gin (col) |

    | WHERE tsv @@ query | GIN | CREATE INDEX idx ON t USING gin (col) |

    | Time-series ranges | BRIN | CREATE INDEX idx ON t USING brin (col) |


    Data Type Quick Reference


    | Use Case | Correct Type | Avoid |

    |----------|-------------|-------|

    | IDs | bigint | int, random UUID |

    | Strings | text | varchar(255) |

    | Timestamps | timestamptz | timestamp |

    | Money | numeric(10,2) | float |

    | Flags | boolean | varchar, int |


    Common Patterns


    Composite Index Order:

    -- Equality columns first, then range columns

    CREATE INDEX idx ON orders (status, created_at);

    -- Works for: WHERE status = 'pending' AND created_at > '2024-01-01'


    Covering Index:

    CREATE INDEX idx ON users (email) INCLUDE (name, created_at);

    -- Avoids table lookup for SELECT email, name, created_at


    Partial Index:

    CREATE INDEX idx ON users (email) WHERE deleted_at IS NULL;

    -- Smaller index, only includes active users


    RLS Policy (Optimized):

    CREATE POLICY policy ON orders

    USING ((SELECT auth.uid()) = user_id); -- Wrap in SELECT!


    UPSERT:

    INSERT INTO settings (user_id, key, value)

    VALUES (123, 'theme', 'dark')

    ON CONFLICT (user_id, key)

    DO UPDATE SET value = EXCLUDED.value;


    Cursor Pagination:

    SELECT * FROM products WHERE id > $last_id ORDER BY id LIMIT 20;

    -- O(1) vs OFFSET which is O(n)


    Queue Processing:

    UPDATE jobs SET status = 'processing'

    WHERE id = (

    SELECT id FROM jobs WHERE status = 'pending'

    ORDER BY created_at LIMIT 1

    FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED

    ) RETURNING *;


    Anti-Pattern Detection


    -- Find unindexed foreign keys

    SELECT conrelid::regclass, a.attname

    FROM pg_constraint c

    JOIN pg_attribute a ON a.attrelid = c.conrelid AND a.attnum = ANY(c.conkey)

    WHERE c.contype = 'f'

    AND NOT EXISTS (

    SELECT 1 FROM pg_index i

    WHERE i.indrelid = c.conrelid AND a.attnum = ANY(i.indkey)

    );


    -- Find slow queries

    SELECT query, mean_exec_time, calls

    FROM pg_stat_statements

    WHERE mean_exec_time > 100

    ORDER BY mean_exec_time DESC;


    -- Check table bloat

    SELECT relname, n_dead_tup, last_vacuum

    FROM pg_stat_user_tables

    WHERE n_dead_tup > 1000

    ORDER BY n_dead_tup DESC;


    Configuration Template


    -- Connection limits (adjust for RAM)

    ALTER SYSTEM SET max_connections = 100;

    ALTER SYSTEM SET work_mem = '8MB';


    -- Timeouts

    ALTER SYSTEM SET idle_in_transaction_session_timeout = '30s';

    ALTER SYSTEM SET statement_timeout = '30s';


    -- Monitoring

    CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pg_stat_statements;


    -- Security defaults

    REVOKE ALL ON SCHEMA public FROM public;


    SELECT pg_reload_conf();


    Related


  • Agent: database-reviewer - Full database review workflow
  • Skill: clickhouse-io - ClickHouse analytics patterns
  • Skill: backend-patterns - API and backend patterns

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    Based on Supabase Agent Skills (MIT License)