MSSQL vs. PostgreSQL: Key Differences

MSSQL Course.

1. Licensing and Cost:

• MSSQL (Microsoft SQL Server): Proprietary software with a commercial license. Licensing costs can be significant, especially for the Standard and Enterprise editions.
• PostgreSQL: Open-source and free to use. No licensing fees, which makes it a cost-effective option.

2. Operating System Compatibility:

• MSSQL: Primarily designed for Windows, though it also supports Linux. Historically more Windows-centric.
• PostgreSQL: Cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Offers greater flexibility in terms of operating system compatibility.

3. Performance and Scalability:

• MSSQL: Known for excellent performance, especially in large enterprise environments. Features like in-memory OLTP and advanced indexing options enhance performance.
• PostgreSQL: Also highly performant and scalable. Known for its ability to handle complex queries and large datasets efficiently.

4. SQL Compliance and Features:

• MSSQL: Offers T-SQL (Transact-SQL), which extends SQL with procedural programming capabilities. Provides comprehensive support for various SQL features, but with proprietary extensions.
• PostgreSQL: Highly SQL-compliant and extends SQL standards. Known for its robust support of advanced SQL features, including window functions, common table expressions (CTEs), and full-text search.

5. Data Types and Extensions:

• MSSQL: Supports a wide range of data types, including some proprietary ones like SQL_VARIANT and UNIQUEIDENTIFIER.
• PostgreSQL: Offers extensive support for various data types, including arrays, hstore (key-value pairs), JSON, and custom data types through extensions.

6. Replication and High Availability:

• MSSQL: Provides built-in features for replication (transactional, merge, snapshot), Always On availability groups, and failover clustering.
• PostgreSQL: Supports various replication methods, including streaming replication, logical replication, and third-party tools like Bucardo for multi-master replication.

7. Community and Support:

• MSSQL: Backed by Microsoft with extensive documentation, professional support, and a large user community.
• PostgreSQL: Strong community support with extensive documentation, mailing lists, and forums. Professional support is available through third-party vendors.

8. Extensions and Ecosystem:

• MSSQL: Rich ecosystem with integration into other Microsoft products and services like Azure, Power BI, and SSRS/SSIS.
• PostgreSQL: Highly extensible with numerous extensions available for additional functionality (e.g., PostGIS for geographic data, TimescaleDB for time-series data).

9. Security:

• MSSQL: Comprehensive security features including encryption, row-level security, dynamic data masking, and built-in auditing.
• PostgreSQL: Strong security features, including SSL/TLS encryption, row-level security, and integration with LDAP, PAM, and other authentication methods.

10. Backup and Recovery:

• MSSQL: Advanced backup and recovery options, including point-in-time recovery, differential backups, and integration with Azure for cloud backups.
• PostgreSQL: Robust backup and recovery options, including physical and logical backups, point-in-time recovery, and third-party tools like pgBackRest for enhanced capabilities.