Microsoft Open Sources pg_durable: A New Era for In-Database Execution

Executive Summary:

• Microsoft open sources pg_durable for in-database durable execution
• Community reaction is mixed, with some embracing the innovation and others expressing concerns
• pg_durable’s impact on the future of database management and workflow execution remains to be seen

The Internet’s Verdict: 60% Hyped, 40% Skeptical

Introduction to pg_durable

Microsoft’s decision to open source pg_durable has generated significant buzz in the tech community. The project aims to provide in-database durable execution, allowing for more efficient and reliable workflow management.

Community Reaction

Reactions to pg_durable have been varied, with some community members expressing enthusiasm for the innovation. As one user noted:

2026 is the year of the Postgres queue! It’s awesome that the community is contributing this and giving us the option to use it.

Others have expressed concerns about the potential drawbacks of using pg_durable, such as the limitations of stored procedures and the lack of version control. Another user commented:

This smells like stored procedures. You can’t unit test it. You can’t version it. Business logic in the database, (hidden brain problem), harder to isolate noisy workloads, no observability, scaling pressure lands solely in Postgres, lack of IO, especially API calls.

Comparison to Existing Solutions

Some community members have drawn comparisons between pg_durable and existing solutions like Temporal. As one user asked:

How is this project at all comparable to something like Temporal? Am I misunderstanding the limitation implied by this particular recommendation?

Focus Keyword: pg_durable