PostgreSQL 12: What's New, Release History & EOL Status

What is New in PostgreSQL 12

PostgreSQL 12 introduces major improvements in performance, storage efficiency, and ease of use. This release focuses on making large table management more efficient, enhancing query performance, and adding powerful new features for both developers and database administrators.

Key highlights include generated columns, improved partitioning, faster vacuuming, and significant enhancements to indexing and query execution.

Major New Features

PostgreSQL 12 brings several groundbreaking capabilities:

• Generated Columns - Columns whose values are automatically computed and stored based on other columns using the GENERATED ALWAYS AS syntax
• Significant improvements to declarative partitioning with better query performance and easier maintenance
• Support for REINDEX CONCURRENTLY allowing index rebuilds without blocking writes
• Improved vacuum behavior with the ability to skip index vacuuming when not needed

Performance Enhancements

PostgreSQL 12 delivers noticeable speed improvements in many common operations:

• Faster B-tree index creation and maintenance
• Improved query planning for partitioned tables
• Better handling of common table expressions (CTEs) with materialization control
• Enhanced parallel query execution for more operations
• Optimized sorting and aggregation with reduced memory usage

Partitioning and Indexing Improvements

Partitioning has been greatly enhanced in PostgreSQL 12:

• Support for foreign keys referencing partitioned tables
• Improved partition pruning for more query types
• Ability to attach and detach partitions more efficiently
• Better default partitioning strategies

Additionally, the new REINDEX CONCURRENTLY feature allows administrators to rebuild indexes with minimal impact on application performance.

Security and Administration

Security and manageability receive important updates:

• New system role pg_read_all_settings for safer configuration access
• Improved logging of authentication failures
• Better control over WAL writing behavior
• Enhanced support for JIT compilation with more tunable parameters

SQL and Developer Features

Developers benefit from several new SQL capabilities:

• New functions: jsonb_set() improvements, generate_series() for numeric and timestamp ranges
• Support for ALTER TABLE ... ATTACH PARTITION with validation control
• More flexible handling of identity columns
• Improved error messages and diagnostics

Monitoring and Observability

Migration Considerations

When upgrading to PostgreSQL 12, pay attention to these points:

• Generated columns require careful planning during schema migration
• Partitioned tables may benefit from redefinition using the new features
• Test vacuum and indexing operations as behavior has changed significantly
• Review applications using older partitioning syntax

PostgreSQL 12 represents a major step forward in performance and usability, making it an excellent choice for both new projects and existing systems looking for better efficiency and modern features.