Q: Does tuning require restarting the Aiven for PostgreSQL® database?

Some additional parameters, like shared_buffers , require a restart to take effect on Aiven. DBtune is designed to handle this intelligently and only restarts when the permission is explicitly granted by the user.

Q: Where can I learn more about tuning PostgreSQL with DBtune?

You can learn more by visiting the DBtune documentation , which includes step-by-step setup guides, parameter explanations, and advanced tuning strategies for Aiven for PostgreSQL® environments.

Question 1

Can I see a DBtune demo?

Accepted Answer

Here you go!

Question 2

What is Aiven for PostgreSQL® and why does it need tuning?

Accepted Answer

Aiven for PostgreSQL® is a managed PostgreSQL service that simplifies database operations in the cloud. While it comes with good preconfigured defaults, these settings are generic and not tailored to specific workloads. Tuning Aiven for PostgreSQL® with tools like DBtune helps unlock better performance by optimizing server parameters based on actual usage patterns.

Question 3

How much faster can Aiven for PostgreSQL® become with tuning?

Accepted Answer

In public benchmarks, tuning Aiven for PostgreSQL® with DBtune resulted in up to a 2.15x speedup in average query runtime. The actual improvement depends on workload and machine type.

Question 4

Does tuning require restarting the Aiven for PostgreSQL® database?

Accepted Answer

Some additional parameters, like shared_buffers, require a restart to take effect on Aiven. DBtune is designed to handle this intelligently and only restarts when the permission is explicitly granted by the user.

Question 5

What’s the difference between DBtune and PGTune for Aiven for PostgreSQL?

Accepted Answer

PGTune is a static, heuristic-based configuration generator. DBtune, by contrast, is AI-driven, dynamic, and adapts its tuning based on actual runtime metrics. It performs iterative testing and evaluation, much like an expert database administrator would do, making it far more accurate and workload-specific.

Question 6

Which Aiven for PostgreSQL® parameters can be tuned by DBtune?

Accepted Answer

As of May 2025, DBtune offers up to 6 parameters to tune for Aiven for PostgreSQL®. These are bgwriter_delay, bgwriter_lru_maxpages, max_parallel_workers, max_parallel_workers_per_gather, work_mem and if restarts are enabled, shared_buffers. However, we expect Aiven for PostgreSQL® to make it easier for other parameters to be tuned through API access in the future. The DBtune documentation has the latest information.

Question 7

What is required to tune Aiven for PostgreSQL® with DBtune?

Accepted Answer

You only need to download and run the DBtune open-source agent, which connects to your database as you would, using the standard psql connection url. The agent can be run anywhere you like as long as it can connect to the database. You can manage the tuning from the DBtune platform. The DBtune documentation walks you through getting started.

Question 8

Where can I learn more about tuning PostgreSQL with DBtune?

Accepted Answer

You can learn more by visiting the DBtune documentation, which includes step-by-step setup guides, parameter explanations, and advanced tuning strategies for Aiven for PostgreSQL® environments.

Question 9

How do you tune PostgreSQL on Aiven?

Accepted Answer

You can tune Aiven for PostgreSQL® using either their platform or through Aiven’s API. For automatic tuning you can leverage DBtune to apply AI-optimized configurations that adapt to your workloads.

Question 10

Can you tune Aiven for PostgreSQL® without restarts?

Accepted Answer

Yes, some parameters can be tuned without restarts, only requiring what is called a configuration reload. However you might get some benefit from allowing for restarts. Tools like DBtune will let you choose your preferred option.

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