---
title: "PostgreSQL data source | Grafana documentation"
description: "Introduction to the PostgreSQL data source in Grafana."
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# PostgreSQL data source

Grafana includes a built-in PostgreSQL data source plugin, enabling you to query and visualize data from any PostgreSQL-compatible database. You don’t need to install a plugin to add the PostgreSQL data source to your Grafana instance.

Grafana offers several configuration options for this data source as well as a visual and code-based query editor.

## Supported databases

This data source supports the following PostgreSQL-compatible databases:

- PostgreSQL 9.0 and newer
- Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
- Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
- Azure Database for PostgreSQL
- Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL

Grafana recommends using the latest available version for your database for optimal compatibility.

## Key capabilities

The PostgreSQL data source supports:

- **Time series queries:** Visualize metrics over time using built-in time grouping macros.
- **Table queries:** Display query results in table format for any valid SQL query.
- **EXPLAIN queries:** Inspect query execution plans directly in the query editor.
- **Template variables:** Create dynamic dashboards with variable-driven queries using the built-in variable query editor.
- **Annotations:** Overlay events from PostgreSQL on your dashboard panels.
- **Alerting:** Create alerts based on PostgreSQL query results (time series format only).
- **Macros:** Simplify queries with built-in macros for time filtering and grouping.

## Supported PostgreSQL data types

The PostgreSQL plugin uses the [PGX driver](https://github.com/jackc/pgx) for database connectivity. The following PostgreSQL data types are supported:

- **Numeric types:** `int2`, `int4`, `int8`, `float4`, `float8`, `numeric`
- **String types:** `text`, `varchar`, `char`, `bpchar`
- **Date/time types:** `timestamp`, `timestamptz`, `date`, `time`, `timetz`, `interval`
- **Boolean:** `bool`
- **JSON types:** `json`, `jsonb`
- **Enumerated types:** Custom `enum` types are returned as string values.
- **Other types:** Types not explicitly mapped (such as arrays, composites, or custom domains) are returned as string values.

## Get started

The following documents help you get started with the PostgreSQL data source:

- [Configure the PostgreSQL data source](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/configure/) - Set up authentication and connect to PostgreSQL.
- [PostgreSQL query editor](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/query-editor/) - Create and edit queries with time series, table, and EXPLAIN formats.
- [Template variables](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/template-variables/) - Create dynamic dashboards with PostgreSQL variables.
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/troubleshooting/) - Solve common configuration and query errors.

## Additional features

After you configure the PostgreSQL data source, you can:

- Add [annotations](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/annotations/) to overlay PostgreSQL events on your graphs.
- Set up [alerting](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/postgres/alerting/) rules based on your time series queries.
- Use [Explore](/docs/grafana/latest/explore/) to investigate your PostgreSQL data without building a dashboard.
- Add [transformations](/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/query-transform-data/transform-data/) to process query results.

To see the PostgreSQL data source in action, explore the demo dashboard on Grafana Play:

Give it a try using Grafana Play

With Grafana Play, you can explore and see how it works, learning from practical examples to accelerate your development. This feature can be seen on [PostgreSQL Overview](https://play.grafana.org/d/ddvpgdhiwjvuod/postgresql-overview).

[Try it](https://play.grafana.org/d/ddvpgdhiwjvuod/postgresql-overview)

## Related data sources

The following databases use the PostgreSQL wire protocol and may work with this data source:

- [TimescaleDB](https://www.timescale.com/)—Enable the **TimescaleDB** toggle in the data source settings for `time_bucket` support.
- [CockroachDB](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/)
- [Amazon Redshift](https://aws.amazon.com/redshift/)—Grafana also offers a dedicated [Amazon Redshift data source](/grafana/plugins/grafana-redshift-datasource/) with additional features.
- [CrateDB](https://cratedb.com/)
- [YugabyteDB](https://www.yugabyte.com/)