PostgreSQL to Redshift
real-time replication
TwinCommit replicates PostgreSQL to Amazon Redshift in real time by reading the PostgreSQL transaction log and applying every committed change exactly once and in commit order. Use it to feed Redshift with live PostgreSQL data for analytics, AI and reporting, with no triggers or capture tables on the source.
PostgreSQL
log reader
commit-ordered · exactly-once
Redshift
native writer
How capture works on PostgreSQL
TwinCommit uses a logical replication slot with the built-in pgoutput plugin, so there is nothing to install on the server.
Prerequisites
- ✓wal_level = logical
- ✓REPLICATION privilege
- ✓Primary key or REPLICA IDENTITY FULL
How apply works on Redshift
Micro-batches are written to S3 as Parquet, loaded with COPY into staging tables, and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint.
Requirements
- ✓An S3 staging bucket and IAM role for COPY
- ✓A database user with CREATE on the target schema
- ✓Network path to the cluster or workgroup endpoint
Setup
Set up PostgreSQL → Redshift in four steps
- 1
Prepare PostgreSQL
Run twincommit check. It verifies wal_level = logical and the other prerequisites, and prints the exact fix for anything missing.
- 2
Point at Redshift
Add a target block for Redshift. TwinCommit can generate target DDL with twincommit ddl -apply.
- 3
Snapshot
twincommit snapshot copies each table under a brief share lock and records the exact log position.
- 4
Stream
twincommit run streams every committed change from that position, exactly once and in commit order.
source:
type: postgres
dsn: ${SOURCE_DSN}
slot: twincommit
target:
type: redshift
host: analytics.123456789.us-east-1.redshift-serverless.amazonaws.com
database: dev
staging_bucket: s3://acme-twincommit-staging
iam_role: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/twincommit-copy
tables:
- source: SALES.ORDERS
- source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]PostgreSQL to Redshift replication FAQ
How does TwinCommit replicate PostgreSQL to Redshift?
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TwinCommit reads changes from the PostgreSQL transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to Redshift in commit order. Micro-batches are written to S3 as Parquet, loaded with COPY into staging tables, and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint.
Does PostgreSQL to Redshift replication need triggers or capture tables?
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No. TwinCommit reads the PostgreSQL log directly and creates no objects in the source database.
Is PostgreSQL to Redshift replication exactly-once?
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Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same Redshift transaction as the data, so a crash or restart never loses or duplicates a transaction.
What PostgreSQL versions are supported?
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PostgreSQL 13–18 · Amazon RDS and Aurora · Azure Flexible Server · Cloud SQL · AlloyDB.
Use cases for this route
Related replication routes
Stream PostgreSQL to Redshift today.
Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.