Learn PostgreSQL and earn your AWS badge with AWS Skill Builder

As more organizations adopt PostgreSQL for their data needs, it has become an increasingly valuable skill for developers and database professionals. PostgreSQL proficiency translates directly into career opportunities, from building scalable applications to managing and optimizing complex data systems.

This blog post explores why PostgreSQL matters, how AWS supports the PostgreSQL community, and how you can build your expertise through AWS Skill Builder while earning a digital badge to showcase your skills.

Why learning PostgreSQL matters

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, PostgreSQL consistently ranks among the most loved and widely used database engines by developers globally. This popularity isn’t coincidental because PostgreSQL offers a powerful combination of reliability, feature richness, and flexibility that makes it an ideal choice for applications of all scales.

As a developer, learning PostgreSQL connects you to a vibrant, global community of practitioners who continuously push the boundaries of what’s possible with database technology. The open-source nature of PostgreSQL serves as an enabler for innovation, allowing developers to extend its capabilities through custom extensions, contribute to its evolution, and adapt it to unique use cases. This collaborative ecosystem means you’re not just learning a database – you’re joining a movement that shapes the future of data management.PostgreSQL support for advanced data types, full-text search, JSON operations, and geospatial data makes it versatile enough to handle diverse workloads, while its native support for vector data types and similarity search through extensions like pgvector enables efficient storage and retrieval of embeddings, which are essential for AI-powered features like semantic search, recommendation systems, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). All of this while maintaining the ACID compliance that enterprise applications demand.

AWS commitment to PostgreSQL

AWS continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to the PostgreSQL community. As one of the most active contributors to open-source PostgreSQL, AWS provides support for improving scalability, performance, reliability, and suitability for modern workloads including AI and high throughput distributed systems. Building on several multi-year efforts, AWS has contributed several significant features to the upstream PostgreSQL version 18 release, including improved query performance and simplified tuning through SkipScan support for indexes, as well as enhancements to PostgreSQL’s upgrade process including statistics preservation across clusters and multiple other performance optimizations.AWS has played a steadily growing, collaborative role in advancing the PostgreSQL ecosystem – both in core features like logical replication (performance, safety, parallel apply, replication from standbys) and through active contributions to widely used extensions and drivers such as pgvector, pg_hint_plan, and the PostgreSQL JDBC driver. By co-designing complex features with community partners, improving extension stability, adding performance optimizations, and supporting faster innovation through the extension model, AWS helps strengthen PostgreSQL’s real-time, analytics, and AI capabilities while embracing the community.

Community & Sustainability

Recognizing PostgreSQL’s multi-decade success, AWS focuses on growing the contributor pipeline, educating users, supporting events, and maintaining healthy governance practices.The AWS efforts, spanning core features, extensions, drivers, community building, and sustainable open-source practices, demonstrate deep commitment to PostgreSQL’s long-term success and rapid innovation, helping PostgreSQL remain a leading choice of Database for modern cloud applications.

PostgreSQL solutions on AWS

AWS offers multiple deployment options for PostgreSQL, allowing you to choose the solution that best fits your requirements:

• PostgreSQL on Amazon EC2 provides complete control over your database environment, allowing you to customize every aspect of your PostgreSQL deployment. This option is ideal when you need specific configurations or want to manage the database infrastructure yourself.
• Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL delivers a fully managed database service that handles routine database tasks such as provisioning, patching, backup, recovery, and scaling. With RDS for PostgreSQL, you can focus on your applications while AWS manages the operational heavy lifting.
• Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL offers a cloud-native database that combines the performance and availability of commercial databases with the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of open-source databases. Aurora PostgreSQL provides up to three times the throughput of standard PostgreSQL and includes features like automated failover, continuous backup, and read replicas.

AWS continues to innovate in the PostgreSQL space with offerings like Aurora Serverless for automatic scaling, Amazon Aurora DSQL for distributed SQL workloads, and Aurora Limitless Database for virtually unlimited scalability that PostgreSQL on AWS can meet the demands of any workload.

Learn PostgreSQL with AWS Skill Builder

AWS Skill Builder, our comprehensive online learning center, offers structured learning paths designed to help you learn PostgreSQL on AWS. Whether you’re just starting your PostgreSQL journey or looking to deepen your expertise, AWS Skill Builder provides the resources you need to succeed.To support learners at every stage, we’ve developed two distinct learning plans tailored to your experience level. Learning plans are curated collections of digital resources, thoughtfully grouped by topic and skill level to provide a clear, structured path forward. Start with the fundamentals or jump straight into advanced topics – the choice is yours based on your current skills and career goals.

PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and RDS – Core Concepts Learning Plan

The PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and RDS – Core Concepts Learning Plan provides a comprehensive foundation for working with PostgreSQL on AWS. Starting with managed PostgreSQL offerings, you’ll progress through essential concepts including PostgreSQL architecture, Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC), and vacuum internals. This learning plan covers fundamental topics such as PostgreSQL development, monitoring and logging, security best practices, and backup and restore procedures for both self-managed and AWS-managed PostgreSQL instances. Through a combination of digital courses and hands-on exercises, you’ll build the solid foundation needed to effectively work with PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and RDS.

PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS – Advanced Concepts Knowledge Badge Readiness Path

Ready to take your skills to the next level? The PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS – Advanced Concepts Knowledge Badge Readiness Path provides advanced expertise for working with PostgreSQL on AWS, building upon core PostgreSQL knowledge. You’ll explore sophisticated database design techniques, advanced SQL features, and complex data types. This comprehensive learning plan dives deep into maintenance strategies, performance optimization, advanced replication architectures, and query optimization techniques specific to Aurora and RDS environments. The curriculum covers indexing strategies, bottleneck analysis, and crucial aspects of database upgrades including zero-downtime patching and blue/green deployments. You’ll gain extensive knowledge of advanced Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL features such as Global Database, Query Plan Management, RDS Proxy, Aurora Machine Learning, and Aurora Serverless v2 capabilities. Through hands-on courses and practical exercises, you’ll acquire the advanced skills needed to design, optimize, and manage sophisticated PostgreSQL deployments on Amazon Aurora and RDS, maximizing your PostgreSQL capabilities on AWS.

Earn the knowledge badge

Upon completing the Advanced concepts knowledge badge readiness path, you’ll be prepared to earn the Advanced PostgreSQL for Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS Knowledge Badge – a digital credential that validates your expertise in Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. This badge demonstrates to employers, colleagues, and clients that you possess verified skills in managing and optimizing PostgreSQL databases on AWS infrastructure. You can share your badge on professional networks, add it to your resume, and showcase your commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

Knowledge badges provide a tangible way to demonstrate your cloud skills and stand out in a competitive job market. They represent your dedication to mastering specific technologies and your ability to apply that knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Join the PostgreSQL community

Learning PostgreSQL isn’t just about acquiring technical skills – it’s about becoming part of a global community of database professionals, developers, and enthusiasts. The PostgreSQL community is known for its welcoming nature, collaborative spirit, and commitment to knowledge sharing.

We encourage you to engage with the PostgreSQL community through local user groups, online forums, conferences, and open-source contributions. By participating in the community, you’ll stay current with the latest developments, learn from experienced practitioners, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of PostgreSQL technology.

Call to action

Ready to advance your PostgreSQL skills? Visit AWS Skill Builder today and start learning PostgreSQL with our comprehensive learning plans. Begin with the core concepts to build your foundation, then progress to advanced topics to deepen your expertise. Complete the learning path and earn your AWS Knowledge Badge to validate and showcase your PostgreSQL skills to the world.

As a developer, consider taking the next step by becoming part of the PostgreSQL community. Engage with fellow practitioners, contribute to open-source projects, and help shape the future of this powerful database technology.Additionally, follow the AWS Training and Certification Blog for our monthly course launch updates (published the last week of each month) and AWS Skill Builder for all the latest training offerings.