Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL features

MySQL   |  PostgreSQL   |  SQL Server

This page describes the major features and capabilities of Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. Cloud SQL is also available for MySQL and SQL Server.

Note: For information about the supported versions of database engines, see Database versions and version policies.

PostgreSQL features by Cloud SQL editions

For more information about the features for each edition of Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, see Introduction to Cloud SQL editions.

PostgreSQL feature support for Cloud SQL

• Fully managed PostgreSQL databases in the cloud.
• Instances available in the Americas, EU, Asia, and Australia. See all locations where you can create Cloud SQL instances.
• Supports migration from source databases to Cloud SQL destination databases using Database Migration Service (DMS).
• Customer data encrypted on Google's internal networks and in database tables, temporary files, and backups.
• Support for secure external connections with the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy or with the SSL/TLS protocol.
• Data replication between multiple zones with automatic failover.
• Import and export databases using SQL dump files.
• Support for PostgreSQL client-server protocol and standard PostgreSQL connectors.
• Automated backups, on-demand backups, and point-in-time recovery.
• Instance cloning.
• Integration with Google Cloud Observability logging and monitoring.
• Support for multiple PostgreSQL versions.
• Logical replication

Supported PostgreSQL extensions for Cloud SQL

Cloud SQL supports many PostgreSQL extensions. For a complete list of these extensions, see Configure PostgreSQL extensions.

Supported PostgreSQL procedural languages for Cloud SQL

Cloud SQL supports the PL/pgSQL SQL procedural language.

Supported languages for Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL

You can use Cloud SQL with App Engine applications running in the flexible environment that are written in:

• C#
• Go
• Java
• Node.js
• PHP
• Python
• Ruby

You can also use Cloud SQL with external applications using the standard PostgreSQL client-server protocol.

How you can connect to Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instances

You can connect to a Cloud SQL instance from:

• A psql client. Learn more.
• Third-party tools that use the standard PostgreSQL client-server protocol.
• External applications. Learn more.
• App Engine applications. Learn more.
• Applications running on Compute Engine. Learn more.
• Applications running on Google Kubernetes Engine. Learn more.
• Cloud Run functions. Learn more.
  • Cloud Run. Learn more.

Connecting to Cloud SQL with Private Google access isn't supported.

Differences between standard PostgreSQL and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL

In general, the PostgreSQL functionality provided by a Cloud SQL instance is the same as the functionality provided by a locally-hosted PostgreSQL instance. However, there are a few differences between a standard PostgreSQL instance and a Cloud SQL instance.

Unsupported features for Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL

• Any feature that requires SUPERUSER privileges with the following exceptions:

  • You can use the CREATE EXTENSION statement only for supported extensions.

  • If you are assigned to the cloudsqlsuperuser role, then you can perform CREATE CAST and DROP CAST statements. For more information, see Superuser restrictions and privileges.

• The WITHOUT FUNCTION cast method.

• Custom background workers.

• The psql client in Cloud Shell doesn't support operations that require a reconnection, such as connecting to a different database using the \c command.

• Low-Level Virtual Machine (LLVM) Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation.

Notable differences between PostgreSQL and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL

• Some PostgreSQL options and parameters aren't enabled for editing as Cloud SQL flags.

  To request the addition of a configurable Cloud SQL flag, use the Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL Forum.