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PostgreSQL 19 CommitFest brings WAL from tar, replica prompt, foreign-server subscriptions

Brief written by the FOSSWire AI editor from Planet PostgreSQL How we write

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Key Takeaway

PostgreSQL 19's March 2026 CommitFest adds direct WAL reading from tar archives, a new pg_stat_recovery view, replica indicators in psql prompts, and logical replication subscriptions via postgres_fdw servers.

Summary

The latest CommitFest review for PostgreSQL 19 covers DBA3 and DBS course-related features. pg_verifybackup and pg_waldump now read WAL directly from tar files without extraction. A new pg_stat_recovery system view consolidates replica recovery monitoring. The psql prompt gains a %i escape showing primary/standby status. Logical replication subscriptions can now connect via named postgres_fdw foreign servers instead of embedding connection strings.

What's in the DBA3/DBS CommitFest batch

  • pg_verifybackup/pg_waldump: New --wal-path option replaces --wal-directory; both tools now parse WAL directly from tar archives without prior extraction
  • pg_stat_recovery: Single-row system view exposing promote_triggered, last_replayed_read_lsn, last_replayed_end_lsn, replay_end_lsn, pause_state; returns empty on primary
  • psql %i escape: PROMPT1/PROMPT2 variables can display primary or standby based on in_hot_standby; useful with multi-host connection strings
  • pg_createsubscriber --logdir: Timestamped subdirectories per run, separating pg_createsubscriber_internal.log and pg_createsubscriber_server.log
  • Publication EXCEPT clause: CREATE PUBLICATION ... FOR ALL TABLES EXCEPT (TABLE ...) excludes specific tables from catch-all publications
  • SERVER syntax for subscriptions: CREATE SUBSCRIPTION name SERVER server_name PUBLICATION pub_name uses postgres_fdw foreign server; enables centralized connection management and USER MAPPING per-role access control
  • wal_sender_shutdown_timeout: New parameter limiting shutdown wait for WAL replication
  • wal_receiver_timeout: Now configurable per-user and per-subscription
  • SSL server-side SNI: Server Name Indication support for SSL connections
  • GRANTED BY clause: GRANT/REVOKE ... GRANTED BY syntax added
  • Password expiration warning: New warning mechanism before password expiry
  • MD5 deprecation: Further end-of-support preparations for MD5 password hashing
  • pg_read_all_data / pg_write_all_data: Extended to cover large objects

Why it matters

The postgres_fdw-based subscription model reduces operational overhead for multi-subscriber deployments by centralizing connection credentials. Direct tar WAL reading simplifies backup verification pipelines, and the psql replica indicator reduces operator error when managing failover topologies.

Original reference: postgr.es →