🤖Save up to $132K/month in CI costs!Try Free→
Skip to main content
← Back to blog

PostgreSQL on Kubernetes - A Complete Guide to Deployment Methods

17 min read
Author: James Smith
Senior Kubernetes Engineer
Kubernetes is my thing—I love building scalable systems and fine-tuning container workflows for better performance.

Introduction​

TL:DR: What is the Best Way to Deploy PostgreSQL on Kubernetes?

Depending on your use case, here is the best way to deploy PostgreSQL on Kubernetes:

  • Development/Test: Use StatefulSets for simplicity.
  • Small-Medium Production: The Bitnami Helm Chart can be used for managed setup.
  • Enterprise: Use CloudNativePG to provide High Availability and Advanced Features. - Fully Managed: Choose AWS RDS to select serverless PostgreSQL.

In the decade-plus journey of my DevOps engineer life, I have deployed PostgreSQL on the Kubernetes cluster with different methods. Each approach bears merits and challenges.

Here in this tutorial, I will walk you through the different strategies of deployment, right from the most basic approach through the more sophisticated solutions.

Steps we will cover:

Interactive PostgreSQL Deployment Guide​

Try our interactive tool to find the best deployment strategy of PostgreSQL that matches your use case before reading this paper in detail:

PostgreSQL Deployment Method Finder

Step 1 of 5

High Availability

How critical is high availability and automated failover?

Rate the importance:
Not ImportantVery Important

Deployment Methods Comparison​

FeatureBasic StatefulSetHelm (Bitnami)CloudNativePGAWS RDS
Production ReadinessDevelopment/TestSmall-Medium ProdEnterpriseEnterprise
Setup ComplySimpleMediumComplexSimple
HA/FailoverManualSemi-AutoAutoAuto
ScalingManualSemi-AutoAutoAuto
Backup/RecoveryManualSemi-AutoAuto + PITRAuto + PITR
MonitoringDIYBasic IncludedAdvancedAWS Native
Maintenance EffortHighMediumLowMinimal
Cost$$$$
Control/FlexibilityFullGoodGoodLimited
Team NeedsK8s BasicsHelm + K8sK8s ExpertAWS/RDS

Choose based on:

Development: Basic StatefulSet

Small Production: Helm Chart

Enterprise/Critical: CloudNativePG or AWS RDS, use RDS if already on AWS Kubernetes expertise Low → RDS, High → CloudNativePG

How to Deploy PostgreSQL on Kubernetes Using StatefulSets: A Basic Guide​

The most straightforward way is to use a StatefulSet for deploying PostgreSQL. This is perfect for development environments and small production workloads where high availability isn't critical.

Prerequisites​

  • A running Kubernetes cluster (1.19+)
  • kubectl configured to reach your cluster
  • Basic understanding of Kubernetes resources
  • Storage class which is of type ReadWriteOnce access mode

Creating a Namespace​

kubectl create namespace postgres
kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=postgres

Create Secrets​

# postgres-secrets.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: postgres-secrets
type: Opaque
data:
  POSTGRES_PASSWORD: $(echo -n "your-secure-password" | base64)
  POSTGRES_USER: $(echo -n "postgres" | base64)

Apply the secrets:

kubectl apply -f postgres-secrets.yaml

Configuring PostgreSQL​

Create ConfigMap for the PostgreSQL configuration:

# postgres-config.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: postgres-config
data:
  postgresql.conf: |
    # Connection Settings
    max_connections = 100
    
    # Memory Settings
    shared_buffers = 256MB
    effective_cache_size = 768MB
    maintenance_work_mem = 64MB
    work_mem = 2621kB
    
    # Write Ahead Log
    wal_buffers = 7864kB
    min_wal_size = 1GB
    max_wal_size = 4GB
    
    # Query Planning
    default_statistics_target = 100
    random_page_cost = 1.1
    effective_io_concurrency = 200
    
    # Checkpointing
    checkpoint_completion_target = 0.9
    
  pg_hba.conf: |
    local   all             all                                     trust
    host    all             all             0.0.0.0/0              md5
    host    replication     all             0.0.0.0/0              md5

Apply the ConfigMap:

kubectl apply -f postgres-config.yaml

Create the StatefulSet​

Now, let's create the PostgreSQL StatefulSet with proper configuration:

# postgres-statefulset.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: postgres
spec:
  serviceName: postgres
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: postgres
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: postgres
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: postgres
        image: postgres:15.3
        env:
        - name: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: postgres-secrets
              key: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
        - name: POSTGRES_USER
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: postgres-secrets
              key: POSTGRES_USER
        - name: PGDATA
          value: /var/lib/postgresql/data/pgdata
        ports:
        - containerPort: 5432
          name: postgres
        volumeMounts:
        - name: postgres-data
          mountPath: /var/lib/postgresql/data
        - name: postgres-config
          mountPath: /etc/postgresql/postgresql.conf
          subPath: postgresql.conf
        - name: postgres-config
          mountPath: /etc/postgresql/pg_hba.conf
          subPath: pg_hba.conf
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "2Gi"
            cpu: "1"
          limits:
            memory: "4Gi"
            cpu: "2"
        livenessProbe:
          exec:
            command:
            - pg_isready
            - -U
            - postgres
          initialDelaySeconds: 30
          periodSeconds: 10
          timeoutSeconds: 5
          failureThreshold: 3
        readinessProbe:
          exec:
            command:
            - pg_isready
            - -U
            - postgres
          initialDelaySeconds: 5
          periodSeconds: 10
          timeoutSeconds: 5
          failureThreshold: 3
  volumeClaimTemplates:
  - metadata:
      name: postgres-data
    spec:
      accessModes: [ "ReadWriteOnce" ]
      resources:
        requests:
          storage: 100Gi

Apply the StatefulSet:

kubectl apply -f postgres-statefulset.yaml

Create the Service​

Create a headless service to expose PostgreSQL:

# postgres-service.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: postgres
  labels:
    app: postgres
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 5432
    name: postgres
  clusterIP: None
  selector:
    app: postgres

Apply the service:

kubectl apply -f postgres-service.yaml

Setup Monitoring​

Basic monitoring with Prometheus:

# postgres-monitoring.yaml
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: ServiceMonitor
metadata:
  name: postgres-monitor
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: postgres
  endpoints:
  - port: postgres
    interval: 30s
    scrapeTimeout: 10s

Configure Backups​

Create a backup solution using CronJob:

# postgres-backup.yaml
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
  name: postgres-backup
spec:
  schedule: "0 2 * * *"
  jobTemplate:
    spec:
      template:
        spec:
          containers:
          - name: backup
            image: postgres:15.3
            command:
            - /bin/sh
            - -c
            - |
              TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
              PGPASSWORD=$POSTGRES_PASSWORD pg_dump -h postgres -U postgres > /backup/db_$TIMESTAMP.sql
            env:
            - name: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: postgres-secrets
                  key: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
            volumeMounts:
            - name: backup-volume
              mountPath: /backup
          volumes:
          - name: backup-volume
            persistentVolumeClaim:
              claimName: postgres-backup-pvc
          restartPolicy: OnFailure

Verification Steps​

kubectl get pods -l app=postgres
kubectl get pvc
kubectl get svc
kubectl run -it --rm --image=postgres:15.3 postgres-client -- psql -h postgres -U postgres
kubectl logs -f statefulset.apps/postgres

Common Issues and Solutions​

  1. Pod won't start

    • Check PVC status: kubectl get pvc
    • Check Storage class: kubectl get sc
    • Check pod events: kubectl describe pod postgres-0

  2. Connection issues

    • Check the service: kubectl get svc postgres
    • Verify the endpoints with: kubectl get endpoints postgres
    • Test network policy: kubectl get networkpolicies

  3. Performance issues

    • Check the resources consumption: kubectl top pod postgres-0
    • Verify logs of the PostgreSQL: kubectl logs postgres-0

Best Practices for Basic Deployment​

Adjust resource limits in StatefulSet Best Practices for Basic Deployment

CategoryProsCons
Resource Management• Predictable performance, Easy scaling, Clear allocation• Manual adjustments, Constant monitoring, Risk of misprovisioning
Data Protection• Custom backups, Flexible schedules, Full retention control• Manual management, Complex restores, High storage needs
Security• Full policy control, Custom networking, Granular access• Manual updates, Complex secrets, Large attack surface
Monitoring• Custom metrics, Detailed control, Flexible alerts• High setup effort, Infrastructure costs, Manual tuning

How to Deploy PostgreSQL Using Bitnami Helm Charts: A Production-Ready Setup​

Following on from the plain vanilla StatefulSet pattern described above, the next evolution for most teams is onto Helm charts: providing a better packaged and managed way of doing deployments. For me, this has been one of the best features of completeness and most actively maintained charts: the Bitnami PostgreSQL Chart.

Prerequisites​

  • Helm 3.x installed
  • Basic knowledge of Helm concepts
  • Kubernetes cluster with Helm up and running

Step 1: Add Bitnami Repository

helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm repo update

Step 2: Create Values File​

Create a custom values file (values.yaml) for PostgreSQL configuration:

# postgres-values.yaml
global:
  postgresql:
    auth:
      postgresPassword: "your-secure-password"
      database: "your-database"

primary:
  persistence:
    size: 100Gi
  
  resources:
    requests:
      memory: "2Gi"
      cpu: "1"
    limits:
      memory: "4Gi"
      cpu: "2"
      
  configuration: |
    max_connections = 100
    shared_buffers = 256MB
    effective_cache_size = 768MB
    maintenance_work_mem = 64MB
    checkpoint_completion_target = 0.9
    wal_buffers = 7864kB
    default_statistics_target = 100
    random_page_cost = 1.1
    effective_io_concurrency = 200
    work_mem = 2621kB
    min_wal_size = 1GB
    max_wal_size = 4GB

metrics:
  enabled: true
  serviceMonitor:
    enabled: true
    
replication:
  enabled: true
  readReplicas: 2
  synchronousCommit: "on"
  numSynchronousReplicas: 1

networkPolicy:
  enabled: true
  
backup:
  enabled: true
  cronjob:
    schedule: "0 2 * * *"
    storage:
      persistentVolumeClaim:
        size: 50Gi

Step 3: Install PostgreSQL​

Deploy PostgreSQL using the Helm chart:

helm install postgres bitnami/postgresql \
  --namespace postgres \
  --create-namespace \
  --values postgres-values.yaml

Step 4: Verify Installation​

Check the deployment status:

# Check all resources
helm status postgres -n postgres
# Get PostgreSQL password
export POSTGRES_PASSWORD=$(kubectl get secret --namespace postgres postgres-postgresql -o jsonpath="{.data.postgres-password}" | base64 -d)
echo $POSTGRES_PASSWORD

# Connect to PostgreSQL
kubectl run postgres-client --rm --tty -i --restart='Never' \
  --namespace postgres \
  --image docker.io/bitnami/postgresql:15.3.0 \
  --env="PGPASSWORD=$POSTGRES_PASSWORD" \
  --command -- psql --host postgres-postgresql -U postgres -d postgres -p 5432

Common Operations​

Scaling Read Replicas​

helm upgrade postgres bitnami/postgresql \
  --namespace postgres \
  --values postgres-values.yaml \
  --set replication.readReplicas=3

When my application's read traffic increases, I scale up the read replicas to handle the load better. This command adds another replica to our PostgreSQL cluster.

Update Configuration​

# Edit postgres-values.yaml and then:
helm upgrade postgres bitnami/postgresql \
  --namespace postgres \
  --values postgres-values.yaml

I often need to tweak PostgreSQL settings as my application grows. This simple upgrade command applies any configuration changes I've made in my values file.

Backup and Restore​

Manual Backup:

kubectl exec -it postgres-postgresql-0 -n postgres -- \
  pg_dump -U postgres > backup.sql

I use this command for quick, on-demand backups before making major changes. It's a straightforward way to get a point-in-time snapshot of my database.

Restore from Backup:

kubectl exec -i postgres-postgresql-0 -n postgres -- \
  psql -U postgres < backup.sql

When things go wrong, I can easily restore my database using this command. It's saved me more than once during development and testing.

Monitoring and Alerts​

The Bitnami chart already includes Prometheus exporters. To configure extra monitoring, perform the following steps:

# prometheus-rules.yaml
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: PrometheusRule
metadata:
  name: postgresql-alerts
  namespace: postgres
spec:
  groups:
  - name: postgresql
    rules:
    - alert: PostgreSQLHighConnections
      expr: pg_stat_activity_count > 100
      for: 5m
      labels:
        severity: warning
      annotations:
        description: "PostgreSQL instance has too many connections"
        
    - alert: PostgreSQLReplicationLag
      expr: pg_replication_lag_bytes > 100000000
      for: 5m
      labels:
        severity: critical
      annotations:
        description: "PostgreSQL replication is lagging"

Best Practices for Helm Deployment​

CategoryProsCons
Version Control• Reproducible deploys, Easy rollbacks, Clear history• Complex versioning, Dependency issues, Storage overhead
High Availability• Built-in replication, Auto failover, Pod anti-affinity• High resource usage, Complex setup, Network costs
Backup Strategy• Auto backups, Multiple options, Cross-zone storage• Storage costs, Performance impact, Complex policies
Security• Built-in features, Auto rotation, SSL support• Cert management, Complex updates, Config hardening

How to Set Up Enterprise-Grade PostgreSQL with CloudNativePG Operator​

CloudNativePG is my go-to choice for a production deployment that requires enterprise-grade features. It's a full Kubernetes-native operator that provides advanced PostgreSQL capabilities to your cluster.

Prerequisites​

  • Kubernetes 1.21+
  • kubectl and Helm installed (optional)
  • Cluster administrator privileges to install the operator

Installing Operator​

# Using kubectl
kubectl apply -f \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cloudnative-pg/cloudnative-pg/release-1.21/releases/cnpg-1.21.0.yaml

# Or using Helm
helm repo add cloudnative-pg https://cloudnative-pg.github.io/charts
helm install cloudnative-pg cloudnative-pg/cloudnative-pg \
  --namespace cnpg-system \
  --create-namespace

Create a Basic Cluster​

Let's start with a basic PostgreSQL cluster:

# postgres-cluster.yaml
apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: postgres-cluster
spec:
  instances: 3
  
  # PostgreSQL configuration
  postgresql:
    parameters:
      max_connections: "100"
      shared_buffers: "256MB"
      effective_cache_size: "768MB"
      maintenance_work_mem: "64MB"
      checkpoint_completion_target: "0.9"
      wal_buffers: "16MB"
      default_statistics_target: "100"
      random_page_cost: "1.1"
      effective_io_concurrency: "200"
      work_mem: "2621kB"
      min_wal_size: "1GB"
      max_wal_size: "4GB"

  # Storage configuration
  storage:
    size: 100Gi
    storageClass: standard

  # Resource requirements
  resources:
    requests:
      memory: "2Gi"
      cpu: "1"
    limits:
      memory: "4Gi"
      cpu: "2"

  # Backup configuration
  backup:
    barmanObjectStore:
      destinationPath: "s3://my-bucket/backup"
      endpointURL: "https://s3.amazonaws.com"
      s3Credentials:
        accessKeyId:
          name: aws-creds
          key: ACCESS_KEY_ID
        secretAccessKey:
          name: aws-creds
          key: SECRET_ACCESS_KEY

  # Monitoring configuration
  monitoring:
    enablePodMonitor: true

Configure Backups​

Create an S3 credentials secret:

# aws-creds.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: aws-creds
type: Opaque
stringData:
  ACCESS_KEY_ID: your-access-key
  SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: your-secret-key

Deploy the Cluster​

Apply the configurations:

kubectl apply -f aws-creds.yaml
kubectl apply -f postgres-cluster.yaml

Advanced Features​

1. High Availability Configuration​

# ha-postgres-cluster.yaml
apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: postgres-ha
spec:
  instances: 3
  
  postgresql:
    parameters:
      # Replication settings
      max_wal_senders: "10"
      max_replication_slots: "10"
      wal_level: "logical"
      
  replicationSlots:
    highAvailability:
      enabled: true
      
  bootstrap:
    recovery:
      source: postgres-cluster
      
  # Anti-affinity settings
  affinity:
    enablePodAntiAffinity: true
    topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname

2. Point-in-Time Recovery​

# pitr-recovery.yaml
apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: postgres-pitr
spec:
  instances: 3
  bootstrap:
    recovery:
      source: postgres-cluster
      recoveryTarget:
        targetTime: "2024-01-01 00:00:00.000000+00"

3. Rolling Updates​

CloudNativePG automatically handles rolling updates. Just update the cluster spec:

kubectl patch cluster postgres-cluster --type merge \
  -p '{"spec":{"postgresql":{"parameters":{"max_connections":"200"}}}}'

Monitoring Setup​

Build a complete monitoring stack:

# monitoring-config.yaml
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: PodMonitor
metadata:
  name: postgres-monitor
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      postgresql: postgres-cluster
  podMetricsEndpoints:
  - port: metrics
    interval: 30s

---
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: PrometheusRule
metadata:
  name: postgres-alerts
spec:
  groups:
  - name: postgresql
    rules:
    - alert: PostgreSQLHighReplicationLag
      expr: pg_replication_lag_bytes > 100000000
      for: 5m
      labels:
        severity: critical
    - alert: PostgreSQLHighConnections
      expr: pg_stat_activity_count > 100
      for: 5m
      labels:
        severity: warning

Backup and Recovery

1. On-demand Backup​

# backup.yaml
apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
kind: Backup
metadata:
  name: postgres-backup
spec:
  cluster:
    name: postgres-cluster

2. Planned Backups​

# scheduled-backup.yaml
apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
kind: ScheduledBackup
metadata:
  name: postgres-scheduled-backup
spec:
  schedule: "0 0 * * *"
  cluster:
    name: postgres-cluster
  immediate: true

Best Practices for CloudNativePG​

CategoryProsCons
High Availability• Native K8s, Auto failover, Multi-zone• High costs, Complex setup, Network overhead
Backup Strategy• Continuously archiving, PITR, multistorage• Costs of storage, Validation overhead, Complex retention
Monitoring• Native metrics, Prometheus, Custom alerts• Resource overhead, Complex dashboards, Alert tuning
Security• Native security, Auto certs, RBAC• Complex setup, Regular rotation, Policy overhead

How to Integrate AWS RDS PostgreSQL with Kubernetes: A Complete Guide​

Now, let's discuss how one might go about using AWS RDS after exploring self-managed options: a fully managed PostgreSQL Service to offload the database management tasks to AWS while it seamlessly integrates with your Kubernetes workloads.

Prerequisites​

  • AWS Account with appropriate permissions
  • AWS CLI configured
  • eksctl or similar tools for EKS management
  • AWS hosted Kubernetes cluster preferably using EKS

Create RDS Instance​

First, let's create an RDS instance using AWS RDS Operator:

# rds-instance.yaml
apiVersion: rds.services.k8s.aws/v1alpha1
kind: DBInstance
metadata:
  name: postgres-rds
spec:
  engine: postgres
  engineVersion: "15.3"
  dbInstanceClass: db.t3.large
  dbInstanceIdentifier: postgres-prod
  masterUsername: postgres
  masterUserPassword:
    name: rds-credentials
    key: password
  allocatedStorage: 100
  maxAllocatedStorage: 200
  publiclyAccessible: false
  vpcSecurityGroupIDs:
    - sg-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  dbSubnetGroupName: my-db-subnet-group
  
  # High Availability Configuration
  multiAZ: true
  
  # Backup Configuration
  backupRetentionPeriod: 7
  preferredBackupWindow: "03:00-04:00"
  
  # Maintenance Window
  preferredMaintenanceWindow: "Mon:04:00-Mon:05:00"
  
  # Performance Insights
  enablePerformanceInsights: true
  performanceInsightsRetentionPeriod: 7
  
  # Enhanced Monitoring
  monitoringInterval: 60
  monitoringRoleARN: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/rds-monitoring-role
  
  # Storage Configuration
  storageType: gp3
  iops: 3000

Create Kubernetes Secret​

Create a secret for database credentials:

# rds-secret.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: rds-credentials
type: Opaque
stringData:
  password: your-secure-password
  username: postgres

Create Service for RDS​

Create a Kubernetes service to access RDS:

# rds-service.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: postgres-rds
spec:
  type: ExternalName
  externalName: postgres-prod.xxxxx.region.rds.amazonaws.com

Step 4: Configure Connection Pooling​

Deploy PgBouncer for connection pooling:

# pgbouncer-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: pgbouncer
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: pgbouncer
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: pgbouncer
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: pgbouncer
        image: edoburu/pgbouncer:1.18.0
        env:
        - name: DB_HOST
          value: "postgres-prod.xxxxx.region.rds.amazonaws.com"
        - name: DB_USER
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: rds-credentials
              key: username
        - name: DB_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: rds-credentials
              key: password
        ports:
        - containerPort: 5432
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "256Mi"
            cpu: "250m"
          limits:
            memory: "512Mi"
            cpu: "500m"

Step 5: Set Up Monitoring​

Create CloudWatch metrics collection:

# cloudwatch-metrics.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: cloudwatch-agent-config
data:
  cwagentconfig.json: |
    {
      "metrics": {
        "metrics_collected": {
          "rds": {
            "metrics_collection_interval": 60,
            "resources": [
              "postgres-prod"
            ],
            "measurement": [
              "CPUUtilization",
              "DatabaseConnections",
              "FreeStorageSpace",
              "ReadIOPS",
              "WriteIOPS"
            ]
          }
        }
      }
    }

AWS RDS Integration Best Practices​

CategoryProsCons
Network Security• AWS security, VPC, PrivateLink• Complex setup, Cross-account issues, Latency
High Availability• Multi-AZ, Auto failover, Read replicas• High costs, Region comply, Network costs
Backup Strategy• Auto backups, Cross-region, PITR• Backup windows, Storage costs, Recovery time
Performance• Managed ops, Performance insights, Auto scaling• Limited control, Cost tradeoffs, Size limits

Common Operations​

1. Creating Read Replica​

aws rds create-db-instance-read-replica \
  --db-instance-identifier postgres-prod-replica \
  --source-db-instance-identifier postgres-prod

2. Scaling Storage​

aws rds modify-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier postgres-prod \
  --allocated-storage 200 \
  --apply-immediately

3. Taking Manual Snapshot​

aws rds create-db-snapshot \
  --db-instance-identifier postgres-prod \
  --db-snapshot-identifier manual-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Monitoring and Alerting​

  1. CloudWatch Alarms
# cloudwatch-alarms.yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Resources:
  HighCPUAlarm:
    Type: AWS::CloudWatch::Alarm
    Properties:
      AlarmName: RDS-HighCPU
      MetricName: CPUUtilization
      Namespace: AWS/RDS
      Statistic: Average
      Period: 300
      EvaluationPeriods: 2
      Threshold: 80
      AlarmActions:
        - arn:aws:sns:region:account-id:notification-topic
      Dimensions:
        - Name: DBInstanceIdentifier
          Value: postgres-prod
  1. Kubernetes Prometheus Integration
# prometheus-servicemonitor.yaml
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: ServiceMonitor
metadata:
  name: rds-monitor
spec:
  endpoints:
  - interval: 30s
    port: metrics
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: cloudwatch-exporter

Cost Optimization​

  1. Instance Right-sizing

    • Monitor Performance Insights
    • Use AWS Cost Explorer
    • Consider Reserved Instances
    • Scale instance class based on usage

  2. Optimizing Storage

    • Monitor storage growth
    • Enable storage autoscaling
    • Cleanup old snapshots
    • Use gp3 storage for better performance/cost ratio

Migration to RDS​

If migrating from another solution:

  1. Preparation
# Create subnet group
aws rds create-db-subnet-group \
  --db-subnet-group-name my-subnet-group \
  --subnet-ids subnet-xxxxx subnet-yyyyy

# Create parameter group
aws rds create-db-parameter-group \
  --db-parameter-group-name custom-postgres15 \
  --db-parameter-group-family postgres15
  1. Data Migration
# Using AWS DMS
aws dms create-replication-instance \
  --replication-instance-class dms.t3.large \
  --replication-instance-identifier migration-instance

# Or using pg_dump/pg_restore
pg_dump -h old-postgres -U postgres | \
  psql -h postgres-prod.xxxxx.region.rds.amazonaws.com -U postgres
  1. Application Migration
# Update application configurations
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        env:
        - name: DB_HOST
          value: postgres-rds
        - name: DB_PORT
          value: "5432"
        - name: DB_USER
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: rds-credentials
              key: username
        - name: DB_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: rds-credentials
              key: password

That completes this rather comprehensive tutorial about the various ways you could deploy PostgreSQL on Kubernetes. Each has its pros and use cases, and which to choose depends upon your particular needs, team skills, and operational constraints.

Conclusion​

Well, after playing around with various ways of deploying PostgreSQL on Kubernetes, my conclusion would be that each has a certain purpose: the simple StatefulSets, a very good development and learning ground; Helm charts give balanced solutions for a normal production workload, but advanced features with native integration of CloudNativePG, maybe will answer enterprise needs, and those in the AWS ecosystem would take RDS.

Choose your deployment method based on your team's expertise, operational requirements, and budget constraints. Keep in mind that you can always start simple and evolve your infrastructure as your needs grow.

Related Posts

Kubernetes Probes - A Complete Guide to Container Health Checks

A practical guide to configuring liveness, readiness, and startup probes in Kubernetes, with real examples and best practices

·7 min read

StatefulSets in Kubernetes

A guide to creating, scaling, and updating StatefulSets in Kubernetes for stateful applications.

·10 min read

How to Copy Files from Pod to Local with kubectl cp

We have provided a step-by-step explanation of the kubectl cp command for copying files and directories across your local system and a Kubernetes pod's container. We will walk through examples of common use cases and troubleshooting errors you may encounter.

·4 min read