Past, Present, and Future: Logical Decoding and Replication in PostgreSQL | POSETTE 2026

Trace the evolution of logical decoding and replication in PostgreSQL. Hari Kiran (OpenSource DB) explores this in his talk “Past, Present, and Future: Logical Decoding and Replication in PostgreSQL” at POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2026. Abstract: Logical replication has evolved into a foundational capability for modern PostgreSQL deployments, enabling real-time data synchronization, partial replication. What began as a low-level decoding API in PostgreSQL 9.4 has now matured into a powerful feature, allowing for fine-grained control over what gets replicated and where. In this talk, we’ll trace the journey of logical decoding and replication in PostgreSQL, from its early adoption through extensions like pglogical, to the robust native features introduced in recent PostgreSQL releases. We’ll dive into how these capabilities have empowered change data capture (CDC), zero-downtime migrations, and real-time analytics pipelines. We’ll also explore how innovations in the ecosystem, particularly the work of Multi-master replication, are shaping the future of distributed PostgreSQL by enabling features like out-of-box asynchronous logical replication, automated DDL propagation, and eliminating the traditional limitations of read-only replicas or single-writer systems. We’ll also explore how innovations in the ecosystem, especially multi‑master replication, are shaping distributed PostgreSQL by enabling features like out‑of‑the‑box asynchronous logical replication, automated DDL propagation, and removing the limitations of read‑only replicas and single‑writer system Key takeaways: - Understand the architecture and internals of logical decoding - Compare native and extension-based logical replication - Discover what's next: DDL replication, performance tuning, and multi-master replication Hari Kiran is a seasoned Database Engineer with nearly 18 years of experience in multiple domains of the IT Industry in Healthcare, Banking, Project & Portfolio Management, and CRM d