From VMs to Cloud-Native PostgreSQL in Kubernetes: A Case Study of Migrating a Medium-Sized Application
Friday, October 25 at 09:30–10:20
We have all been there – managing a traditional primary-replica PostgreSQL installation with stability and ease, ensuring all stakeholders are satisfied. Our on-premise infrastructure was reliable, eliminating the need for High Availability (H-A) solutions like Patroni. However, the landscape shifted dramatically when our customers decided to go “all-in” on Kubernetes, despite their limited understanding of running databases in such a dynamic environment.
In this business-critical application case study, earning millions CZK daily, we detail our journey from skepticism to expertise. Initially wary, we evaluated various Postgres operators, progressing through staging environments and building our know-how to administer databases without “SSH-ing into servers.” We delved into the details traditionally familiar to us and performed extensive testing and experiments before moving to production.
We will compare traditional installations with operator-based ones across key areas:
- Initial Installation
- High Availability, Disaster Recovery
- Backup and Restore
- Performance Tuning
- Client Connections
- And more
This session will provide a grounded perspective on the “Kubernetes” hype, highlighting both challenges and surprising benefits. By the end, you will see how even a skeptical, conservative DBA can become passionate about running PostgreSQL in Kubernetes after experiencing its advantages firsthand.
