Ep. #136, Serverless Postgres with Nikita Shamgunov of Neon
Oct 26, 2023
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In this episode of Jamstack Radio, Brian talks with Nikita Shamgunov of Neon about how Serverless Postgres is revolutionizing the database game. They discuss topics like orchestrating micro VMs, utilizing databases as a service, building a scalable cloud service for Postgres databases, and getting started with Neon.
Serverless Postgres is revolutionizing the database game, making it easier, more scalable, and more cost-effective than ever before.
Nian aims to deliver a modern, best-in-class Postgres service by integrating database storage with S3 for cost efficiency and attracting modern systems developers with the use of Rust programming language.
Deep dives
The Importance of Serverless Postgres
One of the main ideas discussed in this podcast episode is the significance of serverless Postgres. The speaker emphasizes that serverless technology is a crucial factor for becoming the dominant default cloud service for Postgres. By providing the best Postgres service in the cloud, a company can cater to the most valuable workloads that are residing in that environment. The speaker also mentions that Nian, a two-year-old company, is focused on building serverless Postgres and aims to become the leading provider in this space.
The Architecture and Benefits of Nian
Nian aims to deliver a modern, best-in-class Postgres service, and its key architectural advantage lies in its storage. By integrating database storage with S3 for cost efficiency, the company ensures scalability and the ability to support large workloads. Furthermore, Nian has made the decision to open-source its storage technology to gain endorsement and credibility from the Postgres community. Additionally, Nian's use of the Rust programming language allows them to attract modern systems developers. The speaker also mentions that Nian is considering open-sourcing its control plane, which is practically unheard of in the world of database-as-a-service providers.
The Significance of Serverless Computing
The podcast episode highlights the breakthrough discovery made by Nian that serverless computing is immensely important. The speaker acknowledges that building serverless systems, especially for a database like Postgres, is challenging. Nian employs an approach of orchestrating micro VMs and live migrating them between hosts to achieve serverless functionality. The speaker indicates that Nian is one of the only two serverless offerings for Postgres, and they are positioned to excel in this space due to their unique technical approach.
Nian's Partnerships and Future Plans
The podcast episode mentions Nian's collaboration with Versal, an edge functions platform, and how the serverless promise paved the way for this partnership. The speaker explains that integrating Nian into any other platform is straightforward, requiring users to create an Nian account and use an API to spin up and spin down databases. The speaker also highlights Nian's plan to improve cold starts, offering faster performance and better recall with the introduction of the PG Embedding extension. Additionally, the speaker mentions Nian's consideration of open-sourcing their control plane and the benefits it would bring to users and potential partnerships.
In episode 136 of Jamstack Radio, Brian speaks with Nikita Shamgunov of Neon. This conversation explores how Serverless Postgres is revolutionizing the database game, making it easier, more scalable, and more cost-effective than ever before. Together they explore topics like orchestrating micro VMs, utilizing databases as a service (DaaS), building a scalable cloud service for Postgres databases, and getting started with Neon.