PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch
real-time replication
TwinCommit replicates PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch in real time by reading the PostgreSQL transaction log and applying every committed change exactly once and in commit order. Use it to keep Elasticsearch search indexes current with PostgreSQL, with no triggers or capture tables on the source.
PostgreSQL
log reader
commit-ordered · exactly-once
Elasticsearch
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 Elasticsearch
Changes are sent through the _bulk API with the document ID set to the primary key and external versioning derived from the log position, so late or replayed writes can never overwrite newer data.
Requirements
- ✓An index template or mapping per table
- ✓API key with index and write privileges
- ✓TLS endpoint
Setup
Set up PostgreSQL → Elasticsearch 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 Elasticsearch
Add a target block for Elasticsearch. 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: elasticsearch
url: https://search.internal:9200
api_key: ${ES_API_KEY}
index_template: "{schema}-{table}"
tables:
- source: SALES.ORDERS
- source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch replication FAQ
How does TwinCommit replicate PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch?
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TwinCommit reads changes from the PostgreSQL transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to Elasticsearch in commit order. Changes are sent through the _bulk API with the document ID set to the primary key and external versioning derived from the log position, so late or replayed writes can never overwrite newer data.
Does PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch 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 Elasticsearch replication exactly-once?
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Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same Elasticsearch 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.
Stream PostgreSQL to Elasticsearch today.
Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.