PostgreSQL is a very strong open source ORDBMS (object-relational database relational system) that has a history of over twenty years. The BSD permits PostgreSQL to be distributed as an open source allowing developers and related companies around the world to participate.
Unlike other relational database systems, PostgreSQL allows users to create unique operators, complex data types, aggregate functions, data type conversion character, and other various database objects through the SQL function.
Based on these characteristics, PostgreSQL functions exceed a simple data store. The user can easily implement limitless functions, almost like a new programming language, depending on the creativity of the developers.
History of PostgreSQL
1982 – Ingres project
PostgreSQL grew from the Ingres project, which started at the University of California Berkeley. Michael Stonebraker, Ingres project leader, left UC Berkeley to commercialize the use of Ingres in 1982. He returned to school in 1985 and realized that there was a growing pattern of problems in the database system in the early 1980s. He set out to create solutions to the escalating problems. Post-Ingres, the project following Ingres was separated except for a portion of the code.
1988 – Post-Ingres
Post-Ingres introduced a prototype version at the 1988 ACM SIGMOD conference. The post-Ingres project team launched the first version in 1989, the second version in 1990 and the third version in 1991. The project came to an end on June 30, 1994 after the 4.2 version was released. The open source developers were able to announce POSTGRES, through the BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) license.
1994 – Postgres95
UC Berkeley graduates Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen added an interpretation to the Ingres based query system and created “Postgres95”. Andrew and Jolly replaced the console application, Monitor to PSQL, and released the source code to the web.
1996 – PostgreSQL
In 1996 “Postgres95” was renamed. “Postgres95” was renamed because it included the year and would no longer be relevant. The new name, PostgreSQL, was created to represent the synthesis of POSTGRES and the newly added SQL function. The previous version 4.2 that was created at Berkeley for the POSTGRES project was labeled as version 5.0 and the following was named version 6.0.
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Last reviewed October 30, 2026 by the Nine Bits editors. Read our editorial policy or report an error.