Have you been looking for the ideal database for your applications? The most frequent SQL options to compare when selecting a database technology are PostgreSQL and SQL Server. Whereas both systems share many fundamental components, there are some significant distinctions, with the most significant one being that PostgreSQL is an open source database whereas SQL Server is a Microsoft product.

People frequently contrast SQL and PostgreSQL to decide which is preferable for their data engineering project. The most crucial thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t a single database that will be a suitable fit for every project requirement, therefore it’s necessary to know which option will be most effective for your particular use case. So, in order to help you better grasp the differences between SQL and PostgreSQL and determine which is most appropriate for your needs, this blog compares PostgreSQL and SQL Server on basic level.

What is SQL Server?

SQL Server is a top RDBMS built on top of SQL and created by Microsoft. It is used to organize and store data for a variety of organizational use cases, including business intelligence, transaction processing, data analytics, and machine learning services.

Without having to duplicate data storage in a database, SQL Server’s row-based table structure enables you to link relevant data components from other tables.

Microsoft SQL Server is renowned for its high availability, quick response times while managing heavy workloads, and simple application integration that enables you to acquire business analytics across your whole data estate.

What is PostgreSQL?

The PostgreSQL License governs the use of PostgreSQL, an open source object-relational database management system. It features complex SQL capabilities, such as foreign keys, sub-queries, and triggers, and supports both relational (SQL) and non-relational (JSON) data types. Additionally, PostgreSQL is quite expandable, enabling you to create unique functions and construct data types.

Point-in-time recovery, granular access constraints, multi-version concurrency (MVCC), and tablespaces are only a few of its powerful additions. Because of write-ahead logging, PostgreSQL also provides ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability) qualities and is incredibly fault resilient. It may also be used with practically all popular operating systems, including Linux, Microsoft, OS X, and Unix, because it is free source. To handle internet-scale web, mobile, and geospatial applications, businesses typically select PostgreSQL as the primary data warehouse or data store.

Here are some of the main factors on the basis of which both can be compared.

Platform Support:

• PostgreSQL is an open source platform that works with the majority of the top operating systems. Numerous operating systems, including Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, and Solaris, are capable of hosting it. It can also be set up on Kubernetes or Docker containers.
• However, SQL Server only supports Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Server, and Linux as operating systems.

RDBMS vs. ORDBMS:

• PostgreSQL is an ORDBMS which means that, similar to Object-Oriented programming languages, objects, classes, and inheritance are supported by PostgreSQL. It can handle novel data formats such as video, audio, and image files.
• RDBMS like SQL Server is based on the relational model of data and is well-suited for handling traditional application activities like data processing and management.

Syntax and language:

Both SQL Server and PostgreSQL implement their own dialects of the SQL language in addition to using the mainstream SQL query language.

• Transact-SQL, sometimes known as T-SQL, is the language used by SQL Server. It offers all the same capability as SQL and includes a number of exclusive programming extensions. It is limited, offering support for Java, JavaScript (Node.js), C#, C++, PHP, Python, and Ruby only.
• In PostgreSQL, you may combine SQL with its own procedural language, PL/pgSQL, which enables you to add control structures to SQL as well as functions and trigger operations. It also supports Python, PHP, Perl, Tcl, Net, C, C++, Delphi, Java, JavaScript (Node.js), and more.

Pricing:

• SQL Server is a Microsoft-owned product that may be used with a commercial core-based license in either the Standard or Enterprise edition for a price ranging from $3,586 to $13,748. Additionally, there are two free versions available: a free Express edition with constrained functionality and database sizes, and a full-featured developer edition for non-production workloads.
• The PostgreSQL License governs the open source distribution of PostgreSQL. This indicates there is no cost associated with utilizing this product, even for commercial purposes. The PostgreSQL Global Development Group states that there are no intentions to alter the license or release the product under a different license, therefore PostgreSQL will always be free and open source.

Official websites

• PostgreSQL:(https://www.postgresql.org/)
• SQL Server:(https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/sql-server/sql-server-2019)