Hardened PostgreSQL-16 on Amazon Linux 2023

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for a pre-hardened, AWS-optimized image with verifiable compliance evidence and maintenance. PostgreSQL 16 runs on a Amazon Linux 2023 base hardened following DISA STIG guidelines, tuned for Amazon EC2 workloads, and shipped with a complete OpenSCAP evidence pack and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM).

PostgreSQL 16 Deployment:

1. Best-Practice Deployment: PostgreSQL 16 installed and enabled following official AWS and PostgreSQL guidelines, ready to accept connections on first launch.

2. Extensions Pre-loaded: The matching contrib extension set is installed alongside the server, so widely used modules such as pg_stat_statements, pgcrypto, and postgres_fdw are available immediately.

3. Bloat-Free Data Layer: CPU and memory go to the PostgreSQL engine rather than unused system services.

Hardened Operating System Base:

1. DISA STIG Alignment: 147 security controls applied to the Amazon Linux 2023 base via the SCAP Security Guide, including auditd logging, SSH hardening, kernel command line and module blocklist restrictions, and strict password policy enforcement.

2. Fully Patched at Release: Zero packages with a pending update at build time, verified. The complete CVE scan ships inside the image.

3. Documented Exceptions: Every STIG rule not applied is itemized with a technical justification, so the delivered posture is auditable.

Comprehensive Evidence Pack:

Every AMI carries an OpenSCAP evidence pack generated against DISA STIG guidance, under /opt/hardening-report/:

• Base_Report.html: Pre-hardening scan report, the initial baseline.
• Tailored_Profile_Report.html: Post-hardening report against the tailored profile shipped in this image.
• Raw_STIG_Report.html: Post-hardening report against the unmodified baseline DISA STIG profile.
• Exceptions.txt: Itemized unapplied STIG rules with technical justifications (AWS compatibility, site-specific policies, CSP service conflicts).
• Tuning_Parameters.txt: Every tuning parameter applied on top of the hardening, each shown against its base-image value.
• compliance_mapping.csv: Rule-by-rule mapping to NIST SP 800-53 controls and DISA STIG identifiers with pass/fail statuses.
• package_changes.txt: Package delta against the minimal stock installation.
• sbom.spdx.json: Software Bill of Materials in SPDX format, generated from the RPM database.
• cve_scan.txt / cve_scan_full.txt.gz: Vulnerability scan reports categorizing CVEs by upstream patch availability.
• key_files.sha256: SHA-256 checksums of the key configuration files changed by the hardening, so the delivered state can be verified.
• README.txt: Index of artifact contents, operational guidelines, and configuration defaults.

Reliability Validation:

1. Validation Testing: Functional verification on clean AMI launches through multi-round integration testing, covering the complete database lifecycle with SELinux enforcing.

AWS Network & Kernel Tuning:

1. Network Stack: TCP BBR congestion control with fair queueing, increased connection backlogs, buffer adjustments, and MTU probing enabled.

2. System Tuning: Red Hat tuned daemon active with a custom cloud profile, transparent hugepages set to madvise, and modified memory/EBS writeback parameters.

3. EC2 Integration: NVMe I/O timeouts, Amazon Time Sync (chrony), IRQ balance daemon, and size-capped persistent journald logging.

Operational Tools:

1. Preinstalled Tools: AWS SSM Session Manager enabled, CloudWatch Agent installed (disabled by default).

Maintenance:

1. Maintenance Specifications: Rebuilt and updated bi-weekly to monthly incorporating upstream PostgreSQL and Amazon Linux 2023 security updates, with artifact documentation refreshed per release.

About PostgreSQL 16

One of the world's most advanced open-source relational database systems, known for strict ACID compliance, a rich SQL feature set, and deep extensibility through JSONB, full text search, and foreign data wrappers. Release 16 introduced parallel execution of FULL and RIGHT outer joins, logical replication from standby servers, SQL/JSON constructor syntax, and the pg_stat_io view. It has run production workloads since September 2023, giving extensions, drivers, and ORMs years to converge on it, with upstream community maintenance through November 2028.

About Amazon Linux 2023

Maintained by AWS with a deterministic release cadence and quarterly updates, Amazon Linux 2023 integrates natively with AWS services and the EC2 Nitro platform. It ships SELinux enabled by default, its package set is curated for cloud workloads, and each major version carries a five-year lifecycle, giving teams a stable landing zone aligned with the AWS ecosystem.