Re: Is PostgreSQL an easy choice for a large CMS?

Hi Jim,

I'm settled on sticking with PostgreSQL since MySQL is just to
incompatible with my needs and desires. I just wanted to be
open-minded to some of the MySQL advocacy I've heard.

My project is essentially a CMS, but there are features that are
commonly found in social networking sites like MySpace and CampusHook.
I prefer to call it a web-based BBS inspired by my Citadel days that
borrows features from social networking sites and multi-user blog
sites (think Slashdot, not LiveJournal or Blogger).

I don't anticipate the kind of usage that a site like MySpace gets;
but should users really go for the social networking features, and
start hammering away at profiles with comments and updates; I'd like
to know that the database can survive.

I read in a few places that vacuuming on a heavily hit site can be
necessary several times a day; and so that has been my biggest concern
with PostgreSQL. I haven't previously used autovacuum.

Regards,

Anthony

On 5/4/06, Jim C. Nasby <jnasby(at)pervasive(dot)com> wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 30, 2006 at 12:32:53PM -0700, Tony Lausin wrote:
> > >[ rotfl... ] MySQL will fall over under any heavy concurrent-write
> > >scenario. It's conceivable that PG won't do what you need either,
> > >but if not I'm afraid you're going to be forced into Oracle or one
> > >of the other serious-money DBs.
> > >
> > > regards, tom lane
> >
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > That's a scary idea - being forced into Oracle or Sybase. Isn't
> > Slashdot.org still running strongly off of MySQL?
>
> /. is also essentially read-only, or fairly close to it. The only sites
> I'm aware of that have gotten MySQL to scale in a more write-heavy
> environment are only able to do so by hand-crafting a clustering
> solution of some kind, so that not everything is in the same server.
> Livejournal is an example of this.
>
> Why would a CMS have that high an update rate anyway? I'd think it would
> only be somewhere between 10% and 25% DML...
> --
> Jim C. Nasby, Sr. Engineering Consultant jnasby(at)pervasive(dot)com
> Pervasive Software http://pervasive.com work: 512-231-6117
> vcard: http://jim.nasby.net/pervasive.vcf cell: 512-569-9461
>