Deploying ParadeDB as a logical replication worker is a ParadeDB Enterprise feature. This guide assumes you are using a ParadeDB Enterprise build.
In order for ParadeDB to run as a logical replica, ParadeDB must be using Postgres 17+.
In production, ParadeDB is designed to be deployed as a logical replica of your primary Postgres. This allows ParadeDB to stay in sync with managed Postgres providers like AWS RDS, Google CloudSQL, and Azure Postgres with zero additional infrastructure overhead. It also isolates search and analytical workloads from your primary Postgres, which can prevent downtime caused by long-running queries. ParadeDB supports logical replication from any primary Postgres. This could be AWS RDS/Aurora, Azure Database, GCP CloudSQL for PostgreSQL, AlloyDB for PostgreSQL, or a self-hosted Postgres.

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AWS RDS/Aurora

Please follow AWS’ tutorial for configuring logical replication. In this tutorial, AWS RDS/Aurora is the publisher and ParadeDB is the subscriber.

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Azure Database

Please follow Azure’s tutorial for configuring logical replication. In this tutorial, Azure Database is the publisher and ParadeDB is the subscriber.
Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL does not support logical replication.

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GCP CloudSQL for PostgreSQL

Please follow Google’s tutorial for configuring logical replication. In this tutorial, GCP CloudSQL for PostgreSQL is the publisher and ParadeDB is the subscriber.

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AlloyDB for PostgreSQL

Please follow Google’s tutorial for configuring logical replication. In this tutorial, AlloyDB is the publisher and ParadeDB is the subscriber.

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Self-Hosted Postgres

This guide demonstrates how to configure replication between a self-hosted primary Postgres and ParadeDB.

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Environment Setup

We’ll use the following environment setup for our demonstration: Primary Server
  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04
  • IP: 192.168.0.30
  • Database Name: marketplace
  • Replication User: replicator
  • Replication Password: passw0rd
Standby Servers
  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04
  • IP: 192.168.0.31, 192.168.0.32

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Primary Server Setup

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1. Edit postgresql.conf

The postgresql.conf file is the main configuration file for PostgreSQL. It contains all the server settings that control the behavior and performance of your PostgreSQL instance. Ensure that your postgresql.conf has the following settings applied: 
listen_addresses = 'localhost,192.168.0.30'
max_wal_senders = 10
  • listen_addresses specifies the IP addresses on which PostgreSQL listens for connections. By default, PostgreSQL only listens on localhost. To allow other servers (like your standby servers) to connect for replication, you need to include their IP addresses.
  • max_wal_senders determines the maximum number of concurrent connections that can send WAL (Write-Ahead Log) data.
If you are running pg_search on the primary server, make sure to add it to shared_preload_libraries if your Postgres version is less than 17. If you are installing it only on the standby server as a search replica, you should skip this step. 
# Include this only if pg_search is installed on the primary
shared_preload_libraries = 'pg_search'

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2. Edit pg_hba.conf

The pg_hba.conf file (PostgreSQL Host-Based Authentication file) controls client authentication, defining who can connect to the PostgreSQL server, how they can connect, and from where. It ensures that only authorized users and systems can access the database. We need to allow the replication user to connect from the standby servers’ IP addresses. Add the following lines to allow replication from the local network and localhost. This configuration ensures that the replication user can connect from the specified IP range. 
local   replication     all                                     peer
host    replication     all             127.0.0.1/32            scram-sha-256
host    replication     all             ::1/128                 scram-sha-256
host    replication     all             192.168.0.0/24          scram-sha-256

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3. Create the Replication User

In PostgreSQL, a user is required to handle replication connections securely. This user needs specific permissions to read the WAL and perform replication tasks. Creating a dedicated replication user ensures that the replication process is secure and isolated from other database operations. This user will have the necessary permissions to perform replication but will not have broader administrative privileges. 
sudo -u postgres createuser --pwprompt --replication replicator
--pwprompt prompts you to enter a password for the new user. In this tutorial, we will be setting the password to passw0rd. --replication grants the replication privilege to the new user, allowing it to handle replication tasks.

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4. Create Mock Table on Primary

Create a database: 
sudo -u postgres -H createdb marketplace
Insert some data: 
CREATE TABLE mock_items (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  description TEXT,
  rating INTEGER CHECK (rating BETWEEN 1 AND 5),
  category VARCHAR(255),
  in_stock BOOLEAN,
  metadata JSONB,
  created_at TIMESTAMP,
  last_updated_date DATE,
  latest_available_time TIME
);


INSERT INTO mock_items (description, category, in_stock, latest_available_time, last_updated_date, metadata, created_at, rating)
VALUES ('Red sports shoes', 'Footwear', true, '12:00:00', '2024-07-10', '{}', '2024-07-10 12:00:00', 1);
If you have installed pg_search on the primary, you can build a BM25 index over the table. 
-- Skip this if pg_search is not installed on the primary
CREATE INDEX mock_items_bm25_idx ON public.mock_items
USING bm25 (id, description) WITH (key_field='id');

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Standby Server Setup

Standby servers do not have any specific configuration necessary other than the tables in which you are ingesting logical replication must start off empty. Configuring replication consists of two steps:
  • Running pg_basebackup, which will create a snapshot of your primary onto your standby servers. This makes the initial replication much faster.
  • Subscribing via logical replication, which will create a subscription that continuously propagates changes on the primary server to the standby.

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1. Run pg_basebackup

You should run pg_basebackup on your standby server to create a physical byte-for-byte replica of your primary cluster. The --pgdata directory specifies the where the standby cluster will be created. The directory must exist, and must be empty. 
mkdir -p /var/lib/postgresql/17/main

pg_basebackup --create-slot --slot standby1 --host 192.168.0.30 --pgdata /var/lib/postgresql/17/main --progress --username replicator --write-recovery-conf
pg_basebackup --create-slot --slot standby2 --host 192.168.0.30 --pgdata /var/lib/postgresql/17/main --progress --username replicator --write-recovery-conf

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2. Start PostgreSQL on Standby Server

Start PostgreSQL on standby servers: 
sudo systemctl start postgresql

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3. Verify Replication

Now you can verify the replication. The data inserted on the primary server should appear on the standby servers, confirming that streaming replication with ParadeDB is working correctly. 
SELECT * FROM mock_items WHERE description @@@ 'shoes';

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Logical Replication Setup

Logical replication allows you to replicate changes to specific tables between PostgreSQL instances. After creating a physical replica with pg_basebackup, you can set up a subscription to propagate changes on the primary server to the standby.

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1. Create Publication on Primary

CREATE PUBLICATION mock_items_pub FOR TABLE mock_items;

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2. Create Subscription on Standby

CREATE SUBSCRIPTION sub_marketplace
CONNECTION 'host=172.16.0.1 port=5432 dbname=marketplace user=replicator password=passw0rd'
PUBLICATION pub_marketplace;

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3. Insert Data on Publisher

INSERT INTO mock_items (description, category, in_stock, latest_available_time, last_updated_date, metadata, created_at, rating)
VALUES ('Blue running shoes', 'Footwear', true, '14:00:00', '2024-07-10', '{}', '2024-07-10 14:00:00', 2)

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4. Verify Replication

Verify the replication on the Subscriber server: 
SELECT * FROM mock_items WHERE description @@@ '"running shoes"';
The data inserted on the Publisher server should appear on the Subscriber server.