When a new requirement appears, whether it's document storage, pub/sub messaging, distributed queues, or even full-text search, Postgres can often handle it without introducing more infrastructure.

This talk explores how to leverage Postgres' native features like JSONB, LISTEN/NOTIFY, queueing patterns and vector extensions to build robust, scalable systems without increasing infrastructure complexity.

You'll learn practical patterns that extend Postgres just far enough, keeping systems simpler, more maintainable, and easier to operate, especially in small to medium projects or freelancing setups, where Postgres often already forms a critical part of the stack.

Postgres might not replace everything forever - but it can often get you much further than you think.

In aviation, search isn’t simple—people use abbreviations, slang, and technical terms that make exact matching tricky. We started with just Postgres, aiming for something that worked. Over time, we upgraded: semantic embeddings, reranking. We tackled filter complexity, slow index builds, and embedding updates and much more. Along the way, we learned a lot about making AI search fast, accurate, and actually usable for our users. It’s been a journey—full of turbulence, but worth the landing.