Database guides

AlloyDB for PostgreSQL

Updated 2026-08-01 · 2 min read

Google’s PostgreSQL-compatible database with a columnar engine bolted on. Full Postgres catalog, so everything AddisDB does for Postgres works here.

AlloyDB is Google Cloud’s PostgreSQL-compatible database: a real PostgreSQL engine with a separate columnar accelerator for analytical queries. It presents a complete Postgres catalog, so AddisDB drives it with the Postgres driver and nothing is held back.

Who it is for

AlloyDB fits teams already committed to Postgres who want more analytical headroom without running a second system: the columnar engine keeps a compressed, column-oriented copy of hot data in memory, and the planner uses it for scan-heavy queries while transactions keep hitting the row store.

It is a managed service, so it suits teams who would rather not operate Postgres themselves. If you do not need the accelerator, Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is the simpler and cheaper sibling.

Set up the instance

  1. Create an AlloyDB cluster and a primary instance in the Google Cloud console.
  2. Note the instance’s private IP. AlloyDB is private by default, so plan how you will reach it — a VPN, a bastion, or the Auth Proxy.
  3. Create a database user, or note the built-in postgres user’s password.
  4. If you want the columnar engine, enable it on the instance and let it populate — it decides what to keep in the column store from observed query patterns.
# Run the AlloyDB Auth Proxy and point AddisDB at 127.0.0.1:5432
alloydb-auth-proxy \
  projects/PROJECT/locations/REGION/clusters/CLUSTER/instances/INSTANCE

Connect from AddisDB

  1. New Connection → AlloyDB for PostgreSQL. Port prefills to 5432, database and username to postgres.
  2. Enter the instance IP, or 127.0.0.1 if you are running the AlloyDB Auth Proxy locally.
  3. If you reach the instance over a bastion, use AddisDB’s SSH tunnel instead of forwarding a port by hand.
  4. Test, then Save.
Configuring an SSH tunnel through a bastion host in the AddisDB connection dialog.

What AddisDB gives you

  • Everything the PostgreSQL support does: full introspection, the foreign-key diagram, in-grid editing, mock data, AI querying and query repair.
  • The Live Monitor with real active queries, sessions, locks and connection stats — AlloyDB carries the genuine pg_stat_* views.
  • The Chart view, notebooks, ⌘K search, and the full safety model.

Test clones are the one Postgres feature to expect nothing from here: TEMPLATE cloning copies a database inside one server, which is not how a managed AlloyDB cluster is meant to be duplicated. Use the console’s own clone or restore.