PostgreSQL is a go-to choice for transactional and analytical workloads. It’s reliable, extensible, and open-source. But like any database, its performance depends on the slowest layer — storage.
When you’re dealing with write-heavy workloads, replication, and backup schedules, disk I/O becomes the bottleneck. That’s where PostgreSQL starts to feel sluggish, especially in cloud-native or containerized environments.
Simplyblock solves this. It brings NVMe-level speed to cloud workloads — no IOPS limits, no zone lock-ins, and no vendor complexity. Just fast, reliable NVMe-over-TCP storage that works with your existing PostgreSQL setup.
🚀 Use simplyblock with PostgreSQL for Reliable Transactional Workloads
Simplyblock keeps PostgreSQL fast and consistent with NVMe storage and zone-aware failover.
👉 Use simplyblock for Database Performance Optimization →
PostgreSQL Durability Relies on Storage Throughput
PostgreSQL relies on mechanisms like write-ahead logging (WAL), checkpoints, and fsyncs to maintain data integrity and ensure crash-safe writes. These processes are only as fast as the storage underneath them. When disk throughput is slow or unpredictable, you get high write latency, delayed checkpoints, and sluggish backups.
In distributed setups like Kubernetes, this creates real stability problems. Simplyblock solves this by delivering NVMe performance over TCP. It removes I/O bottlenecks, keeps replication stable, and makes backups more reliable — even under load.
The result? A PostgreSQL environment that performs consistently, scales smoothly, and avoids the usual storage-induced slowdowns.
Step 1: Provision a Simplyblock Volume for PostgreSQL
Start by setting up a new volume with simplyblock’s CLI.
sbctl pool create –name pg-pool
sbctl volume create –pool pg-pool –size 100Gi –name pg-data
mkfs.ext4 /dev/simplyblock/pg-data
mount /dev/simplyblock/pg-data /var/lib/postgresql/data
This volume will store both your data files and WAL logs. By placing both on NVMe-over-TCP, you’re removing the usual bottleneck.
For more information on why WAL is integral to PostgreSQL’s transaction durability and performance, check the PostgreSQL Write-Ahead Logging (WAL).
Step 2: Configure PostgreSQL for Simplyblock
Update PostgreSQL to use the newly mounted volume:
Edit your postgresql.conf:
data_directory = ‘/var/lib/postgresql/data’
Make sure your WAL archive path, logs, and temp files all live on the same volume.
Restart PostgreSQL:
systemctl restart postgresql
Done. You’re now running PostgreSQL on fast NVMe-backed block storage — with no special config or driver changes.
Step 3: Resize PostgreSQL Volumes Without Downtime
Running out of disk? No problem.
With simplyblock, you can resize volumes while PostgreSQL is running — no downtime required.
sbctl volume resize –name pg-data –size 200Gi
resize2fs /dev/simplyblock/pg-data
This is useful for growing:
- Indexes
- WAL archives
- Logical replication slots
Whether you’re scaling traffic or storing more data, simplyblock lets you expand without restarting services — ideal for database deployments on Kubernetes setups that require flexibility and uptime.
Step 4: Keep PostgreSQL Accessible Across Zones
If you’re using Kubernetes or dynamic workloads, your pods or VMs may shift zones. Most block storage solutions can’t handle that — they’re tied to one zone.
Simplyblock volumes aren’t.
They’re zone-independent, which means your PostgreSQL instance stays online even if the underlying node moves.
No reattachment. No failed mount. No outage.
This is especially useful for:
- Node autoscaling
- Maintenance events
- Multi-zone failover strategies
Your app keeps running. PostgreSQL stays attached. Storage just works — even as you implement multi-availability zone disaster recovery across zones. For detailed information on high availability and multi-zone deployment, check the PostgreSQL High Availability Guide.
Step 5: Add Storage-Level Replication for Extra Resilience
PostgreSQL has built-in replication, but you can go further by using simplyblock’s storage-level replication.
This gives you a second copy of your data — replicated live at the block level.
sbctl volume replicate –volume-id=pg-data –target-zone=eu-west-b
Benefits:
- Simplified failover
- Added resilience beyond the DB layer
- Works alongside PostgreSQL’s logical or streaming replication
It’s a backup and a disaster recovery tool — all in one. For more on replication strategies, see the PostgreSQL Replication.
PostgreSQL Runs Better on Simplyblock
PostgreSQL isn’t the problem — storage is. When you’re scaling workloads, performance bottlenecks almost always come from slow or inflexible volumes. Simplyblock changes by giving PostgreSQL NVMe-grade speed, live volume resizing, cross-zone access, and built-in replication.
You get more throughput, better failover, and smoother scaling. No tuning. No downtime. Just a faster, more reliable database setup that works the way PostgreSQL was meant to.
Questions and Answers
Simplyblock accelerates PostgreSQL workloads by providing NVMe over TCP storage with higher IOPS and lower latency compared to traditional solutions. This enables faster queries, improved transaction throughput, and more consistent performance for OLTP and OLAP use cases.
Yes. Simplyblock integrates natively with Kubernetes storage, allowing PostgreSQL to be deployed with persistent volumes managed via CSI. This ensures scalable, high-performance storage for stateful PostgreSQL workloads running in containerized environments. It simplifies database operations while providing enterprise-grade resilience and speed.
Unlike cloud-native block storage that often has limited throughput and high costs, simplyblock for PostgreSQL delivers consistent performance with snapshots, replication, and encryption at rest. It reduces storage costs, eliminates noisy-neighbor effects, and allows PostgreSQL clusters to run at full hardware potential.
Simplyblock protects PostgreSQL databases with data-at-rest encryption, per-volume key isolation, and integration with external key management systems. This ensures compliance with data protection standards while securing sensitive database information without compromising performance
Simplyblock enables PostgreSQL to handle large-scale analytical queries efficiently by combining scalable NVMe storage with instant snapshots and high-throughput replication. This makes it ideal for mixed workloads where PostgreSQL is used both for transactions and analytics.