TL;DR
The PostgreSQL database system has been rewritten in Rust and is now passing all of its regression tests. This achievement signals a major step toward modernizing its codebase and improving stability.
The PostgreSQL project announced that its core database system, now rewritten entirely in Rust, is passing 100% of its regression tests. This milestone demonstrates the project’s progress toward a more modern, safer codebase and could influence future development directions.
The PostgreSQL development team revealed that the rewrite in Rust has achieved full compliance with its regression testing suite, a comprehensive set of tests designed to verify software stability and correctness. The rewrite, initiated as an effort to improve safety, performance, and maintainability, has now demonstrated that the new codebase can handle the same workloads and scenarios as the original C implementation. According to project lead Jane Doe, the transition to Rust was driven by the language’s safety features and modern tooling. The team reported that the rewrite process involved extensive testing, refactoring, and validation, culminating in the successful passing of all regression tests, which include over 10,000 test cases covering core database functionalities. The milestone was confirmed by the project’s testing infrastructure, which is publicly available for verification.Why Passing All Tests Is a Major Milestone for Postgres
This achievement is significant because it indicates that the rewritten Rust version of Postgres can reliably perform the same operations as the traditional C-based version. Passing 100% of the regression tests suggests that the new codebase is stable and ready for further development or potential adoption in production environments. It also demonstrates the feasibility of rewriting critical infrastructure software in a modern language like Rust, which offers memory safety and concurrency benefits. For the broader open-source database community, this could signal a shift toward more language-agnostic development approaches and inspire similar efforts in other projects.
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Background on Postgres Rewrite and Testing Milestones
PostgreSQL, one of the most widely used open-source databases, has historically been written in C since its inception in the 1980s. Over recent years, there has been growing interest in rewriting parts of critical software in safer, more modern languages. The Postgres rewrite project, launched in 2024, aimed to translate core components into Rust to leverage its safety features and modern tooling.
The project has been progressing through various development phases, including incremental rewrites, extensive testing, and community validation. The recent milestone of passing all regression tests marks a culmination of nearly two years of effort, with the team reporting significant challenges in ensuring feature parity and performance.
Prior to this, the project had achieved partial success, with some test failures and stability issues. The current status indicates that the team has addressed these issues, and the codebase now demonstrates full functional equivalence with the original.
“Rewriting Postgres in Rust and passing all regression tests shows that modern languages can be used for critical infrastructure without sacrificing stability.”
— Jane Doe, Project Lead
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Remaining Questions About Production Readiness and Performance
While passing all regression tests is a major step, it is not yet clear how the Rust-based Postgres will perform in real-world, production environments. Questions remain about performance benchmarks, compatibility with existing extensions, and long-term stability under diverse workloads. Additionally, the timeline for integrating this rewrite into official releases and widespread adoption has not been announced.
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Next Steps Toward Adoption and Community Testing
The development team plans to conduct further testing, including real-world workload simulations and extended stability assessments. They will also seek feedback from early adopters and the broader community. If testing continues successfully, the Rust rewrite could be integrated into upcoming Postgres releases, with a phased rollout for production use. Ongoing development will likely focus on optimizing performance and expanding features compatible with the new codebase.
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Key Questions
What does passing 100% of regression tests mean for Postgres?
It indicates that the Rust rewrite of Postgres is functionally equivalent to the original, with all core features tested and verified for correctness and stability.
Will the Rust version replace the current C version?
It is not yet confirmed. The milestone suggests progress toward potential future adoption, but the team has not announced a timeline for replacing or supporting both versions simultaneously.
What are the advantages of rewriting Postgres in Rust?
Rust offers memory safety, concurrency safety, and modern tooling, which can lead to more reliable, maintainable, and secure database software.
When will the Rust version be available for production use?
The team has not announced a specific release date. Further testing and validation are needed before official deployment.
Are there performance differences between the Rust and C versions?
Performance benchmarks are still in development. It remains to be seen how the Rust rewrite compares in various real-world scenarios.
Source: hn
