Applications developed for global users and microservices architectures need more than traditional databases can offer. They need systems that are robust out of the box, easily scalable across regions, and capable of handling dynamic, high-throughput workloads. YugabyteDB is a distributed SQL database designed for these modern requirements. It combines the proven strengths of PostgreSQL with the horizontal scalability of cloud-native architectures.
This article provides an insight into the core features, architecture and ideal use cases of YugabyteDB and shows why it is becoming the database of choice for development teams building scalable and resilient services.
YugabyteDB is an open source, distributed, high performanceSQL database built for the cloud era.
It supports:
YSQL – A PostgreSQL-compatible API for relational workloads.
YCQL – A Cassandra-like API for ultra-low latency access patterns.
Distributed ACID transactions – Ensuring data consistency even in geographically distributed clusters.
Multi-region and multi-cloud deployments – Designed to handle applications on a global scale.
YugabyteDB combines the best of both worlds: the SQL capabilities that developers know and the elasticity and resilience that today’s globally distributed systems require.
The most important functions in detail
PostgreSQL compatibility (YSQL)
YugabyteDB speaks the PostgreSQL Wire protocol.
Supports triggers, stored procedures, foreign keys, joins, subqueries and extensions.
Seamless migration for PostgreSQL-based applications.
Distributed ACID transactions
Fully serialisable isolation across distributed nodes.
Two-phase commit with Raft-based replication ensures consistency.
Ideal for financial and critical transaction systems.
Scalability and high availability
Horizontal scalability: Add nodes to expand computing power and storage space.
Automatic rebalancing: Distributes data and queries evenly.
Tolerance for node failures: Raft ensures availability even if a node fails.
Reliability and disaster recovery
Synchronous replication and read replicas across regions.
Point-in-time recovery (PITR) and backup tools.
Support for Kubernetes, Helm and managed DBaaS options (YugabyteDB Managed).
Advanced indexing and analytics
Secondary indexes, including Unique and Composite.
Distributed SQL execution: Parallel execution of queries across nodes.
Support for Materialised Views and Foreign Data Wrappers (FDW).
YugabyteDB vs. PostgreSQL: Advantages and disadvantages
Although YugabyteDB offers PostgreSQL compatibility through YSQL, there are important differences that impact usage, especially in distributed and cloud-native contexts.
Advantages of YugabyteDB over PostgreSQL
Horizontal scalability: PostgreSQL scales vertically, while YugabyteDB can scale horizontally across nodes and regions without downtime.
High availability: YugabyteDB utilises Raft replication and automatic failover, making it inherently resilient to node and region failures.
Geo-distribution: Geo-partitioning and follower reads allow data to be placed close to users.
Cloud-native architecture: Developed with Kubernetes, multi-cloud and containerised implementations in mind.
Distributed ACID transactions: Native support for highly consistent distributed transactions across nodes and regions.
Limitations compared to PostgreSQL
Maturity and ecosystem: PostgreSQL has been in development for decades and has an extensive ecosystem of extensions and community tools. YugabyteDB’s ecosystem is smaller and newer.
Functional parity: Not all PostgreSQL functions and extensions are fully supported in YSQL (e.g. some procedural languages, complex indexing options).
Performance overhead: For single-node or write-intensive workloads with strict latency requirements, traditional PostgreSQL may perform better due to lower coordination overhead.
Operational complexity: Operating a distributed system brings additional complexity (e.g. replication, partitioning, raft).
YSQL: PostgreSQL-compatible front end. It enables applications to use existing PostgreSQL drivers and tools.
YCQL: Inspired by Cassandra for low latency and high throughput scenarios.
3. Distributed coordination
YugabyteDB uses the Raft consensus protocol to ensure fault tolerance and strong consistency between replicas.
Leader election and log replication are integrated and enable fast failover.
4. Global distribution
YugabyteDB enables:
Geopartitioning: place specific rows in specific regions.
Follower reads: Reads from each replica to reduce latency.
Time-based consistency: Supported by hybrid logical clocks (HLC).
Deployment models
YugabyteDB supports different deployment strategies:
On-Premises: Suitable for data sovereignty or legacy systems.
Cloud-native: Deployment on AWS, GCP, Azure with Terraform, Kubernetes or Helm.
YugabyteDB Managed: Fully managed DBaaS option.
Hybrid/Multi-Cloud: Consistent performance across multiple regions/providers.
Flexible deployment makes it ideal for organisations moving to the cloud or working in regulated environments.
Use cases
YugabyteDB is ideal for scenarios that require high consistency, availability and scalability:
1. Financial services
Global payment platforms
Fraud detection systems
Core banks with real-time compliance
2. E-commerce & retail
Product catalogues and inventory systems
Personalised recommendations and session status
3. IoT & streaming
Time series recording and analysis
Event processing on a global scale
4. SaaS & multi-tenant applications
Tenant isolation with geographic partitioning
High performance and guaranteed uptime
Migration and ecosystem
Migration to YugabyteDB is very easy:
Supports PostgreSQL tools like pg_dump, pg_restore, psql and ORMs (SQLAlchemy, Hibernate)
Integrations with ApacheKafka, Debezium, Spark, Prometheus and Grafana
Active open source community and commercial support available
Summary and next steps
YugabyteDB redefines how modern applications interact with data. YugabyteDB delivers the power and familiarity of PostgreSQL in a horizontally scalable, cloud-native architecture, enabling development teams to build applications that are not only fast and scalable, but also reliable and globally distributed.
Another benefit is the excellent Yugabyte University, which offers a wide range of free online courses and certifications. It is a great resource for both beginners and experienced engineers who want to deepen their knowledge of distributed SQL.
Baremon helps customers evaluate and migrate to distributed databases like YugabyteDB as part of their data modernisation strategy. If you’re thinking about scaling your applications across regions or achieving high availability without sacrificing SQL, YugabyteDB is a compelling option.
Contact us to find out if YugabyteDB fits your workload!
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