This integration is powered by Singer's Postgres tap and certified by Stitch. Check out and contribute to the repo on GitHub.
For support, contact Stitch support.
Important: PostgreSQL as an input data source
This article describes how to connect PostgreSQL as an input data source.
If you want to connect a PostgreSQL instance as a destination, refer to the Connecting a Self-Hosted PostgreSQL Destination guide.
PostgreSQL feature snapshot
A high-level look at Stitch's PostgreSQL (v1.0) integration, including release status, useful links, and the features supported in Stitch.
STITCH | |||
Release Status |
Released |
Supported By | |
Stitch Plan |
Free |
Supported Versions |
9.3+; 9.4+ for binlog |
Singer GitHub Repository | |||
CONNECTION METHODS | |||
SSH Connections |
Supported |
SSL Connections |
Supported |
REPLICATION SETTINGS | |||
Anchor Scheduling |
Supported |
Advanced Scheduling |
Supported |
Table-level Reset |
Supported |
Configurable Replication Methods |
Supported |
REPLICATION METHODS | |||
Log-based Replication |
Supported |
Key-based Replication |
Supported |
Full Table Replication |
Supported |
||
DATA SELECTION | |||
Table Selection |
Supported |
Column Selection |
Supported |
View Replication |
Supported |
||
TRANSPARENCY | |||
Extraction Logs |
Supported |
Loading Reports |
Supported |
Connecting PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL setup requirements
To set up PostgreSQL in Stitch, you need:
-
The
CREATEROLE
orSUPERUSER
privilege. Either permission is required to create a database user for Stitch. -
If using Log-based Replication, you’ll need:
- A database running PostgreSQL 9.4 or greater Earlier versions of PostgreSQL do not include logical replication functionality, which is required for Log-based Replication.
- The
SUPERUSER
privilege. If using logical replication, this is required to define the appropriate server settings. - To connect to the master instance. Log-based replication will only work on master instances due to a feature gap in PostgreSQL 10. Based on their forums, PostgreSQL is working on adding support for using logical replication on a read replica to a future version.
-
If you’re not using Log-based Replication, you’ll need:
- A database running PostgreSQL 9.3.x or greater. PostgreSQL 9.3.x is the minimum version Stitch supports for PostgreSQL integrations.
- To verify if the database is a read replica, or follower. While we always recommend connecting a replica over a production database, this also means you may need to verify some of its settings - specifically the
max_standby_streaming_delay
andmax_standby_archive_delay
settings - before connecting it to Stitch. We recommend setting these parameters to 8-12 hours for an initial replication job, and then decreasing them afterwards.
Step 1: Configure database connection settings
In this step, you’ll configure the database server to allow traffic from Stitch to access it. There are two ways to connect your database:
- A direct connection will work if your database is publicly accessible.
- An SSH tunnel is required if your database isn’t publicly accessible. This method uses a publicly accessible instance, or an SSH server, to act as an intermediary between Stitch and your database. The SSH server will forward traffic from Stitch through an encrypted tunnel to the private database.
Click the option you’re using below and follow the instructions.
For the connection to be successful, you’ll need to configure your firewall to allow access from our IP addresses. Whitelist the following IPs before continuing onto the next step:
-
52.23.137.21/32
-
52.204.223.208/32
-
52.204.228.32/32
-
52.204.230.227/32
- Follow the steps in the Setting up an SSH Tunnel for a database connection guide to set up an SSH tunnel for PostgreSQL.
- Complete the steps in this guide after the SSH setup is complete.
Step 2: Create a Stitch database user
Next, you’ll create a dedicated database user for Stitch. This will ensure Stitch is visible in any logs or audits, and allow you to maintain your privilege hierarchy.
Your organization may require a different process, but the simplest way to create this user is to execute the following query when logged into the PostgreSQL database as a user with the right to grant privileges.
Note: The user performing this step should also own the schema(s) that Stitch is being granted access to.
- Log into your database.
-
Create a database user named
stitch
, replacing<password>
with a password:CREATE USER stitch WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD '<password>'
-
Grant the
stitch
userCONNECT
privileges to the database, replacing<database_name>
with the name of a database you want to connect Stitch to:GRANT CONNECT ON DATABASE <database_name> TO stitch
-
Grant the
stitch
user schema usage privileges, replacing<schema_name>
with the name of a schema you want to replicate data from:GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA <schema_name> TO stitch
-
Grant the
stitch
userSELECT
privileges on the tables in the schema:GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA <schema_name> TO stitch
-
Alter the schema’s default privileges to grant
SELECT
privileges on tables tostitch
. This is required to ensure that objects created in the schema after connecting to Stitch will remain accessible to thestitch
user:ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES IN SCHEMA <schema_name> GRANT SELECT ON TABLES TO stitch
- If you want to replicate data from multiple databases or schemas, repeat steps 3 - 6 as needed.
See the Privileges list tab for an explanation of why these permissions are required by Stitch.
In the table below are the database user privileges Stitch requires to connect to and replicate data from a PostgreSQL database.
Privilege name | Reason for requirement |
CONNECT |
Required to connect successfully to the specified database. |
USAGE |
Required to access the objects contained in the specified schema. |
SELECT |
Required to select rows from tables in the specified schema. |
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES |
Required to ensure that objects created in the schema after connecting to Stitch will be accessible by the Stitch database user. |
Step 3: Configure Log-based Incremental Replication
Important: Log-based Replication requirements
Log-based Replication for PostgreSQL-based databases requires:
-
A PostgreSQL database running PostgreSQL version 9.4.x or greater. Earlier versions of PostgreSQL do not include logical replication functionality, which is required for Log-based Replication.
-
A connection to the master instance. Log-based replication will only work on master instances due to a feature gap in PostgreSQL 10. Based on their forums, PostgreSQL is working on adding support for using logical replication on a read replica to a future version.
Until this feature is released, you can connect Stitch to the master instance and use Log-based Replication, or connect to a read replica and use Key-based Incremental Replication.
While Log-based Incremental Replication is the most accurate and efficient method of replication, using this replication method may, at times, require manual intervention or impact the source database’s performance. Refer to the Log-based Incremental Replication documentation for more info.
You can also use one of Stitch’s other Replication Methods, which don’t require any database configuration. Replication Methods can be changed at any time.
In this section:
Step 3.1: Install the wal2json plugin
To use Log-based Replication for your PostgreSQL integration, you must install the wal2json plugin. The wal2json plugin outputs JSON objects for logical decoding, which Stitch then uses to perform Log-based Replication.
Steps for installing the plugin vary depending on your operating system. Instructions for each operating system type are in the wal2json’s GitHub repository:
After you’ve installed the plugin, you can move onto the next step.
Step 3.2: Edit the client authentication file
Usually named pg_hba.conf
, this file controls how clients authenticate to the PostgreSQL database. To ensure Stitch can read the output from the wal2json plugin, you’ll need to add replication connection rules to this file. These rules translate to “Allow the Stitch user from this IP address to perform replication on all the databases it has access to.”
- Log into your PostgreSQL server as a superuser.
- Locate the
pg_hba.conf
file, usually stored in the database cluster’s data directory. You can also locate this file by checking the value of thehba_file
server parameter. -
Add the following lines to
pg_hba.conf
:host replication [stitch_username] 52.23.137.21/32 md5 host replication [stitch_username] 52.204.223.208/32 md5 host replication [stitch_username] 52.204.228.32/32 md5 host replication [stitch_username] 52.204.230.227/32 md5
A rule for each of Stitch’s IP addresses must be added to
pg_hba.conf
. As Stitch can use any one of these IP addresses to connect during the extraction process, each of them must have their own replication connection rule.
Step 3.3: Edit the database configuration file
Locate the database configuration file (usually postgresql.conf
) and define the parameters as follows:
wal_level=logical
max_replication_slots=5
max_wal_senders=5
Note: For max_replication_slots
and max_wal_senders
, we’re defaulting to a value of 5
. This should be sufficient unless you have a large number of read replicas connected to the master instance.
In the table below are the names, required values, and descriptions of the server settings you must define.
Setting | Value | Description |
wal_level |
logical
|
Required to use Log-based Replication; available on PostgreSQL versions 9.4 and higher. Determines the level of information that is written to the write-ahead log (WAL). A value of |
max_replication_slots |
5
|
Required to use Log-based Replication; available on PostgreSQL versions 9.4 and higher. Specifies the maximum number of replication slots that the server can support. This must be greater than 1. If you have a large number of replica databases, you may want to increase the value of this parameter. |
max_wal_senders |
5
|
Available on PostgreSQL versions 9.4 and higher. Specifies the maximum number of concurrent connections from standby servers or streaming base backup clients (the maximum number of simultaneously running WAL sender processes). If you have a large number of replica databases, you may want to define this setting during setup. |
Step 3.4: Restart the PostgreSQL service
After you’ve finished editing the pg_hba.conf file and configuring the database settings, restart your PostgreSQL service to ensure the changes take effect.
Step 3.5: Create a replication slot
Next, you’ll create a dedicated logical replication slot for Stitch. In PostgreSQL, a logical replication slot represents a stream of database changes that can then be replayed to a client in the order they were made on the original server. Each slot streams a sequence of changes from a single database.
Important: Replication slots and data loss
A logical replication slot should only be used by a single process OR Stitch integration. If you need to connect multiple databases to Stitch, you’ll need to create a replication slot for each database.
You risk losing data if multiple processes or Stitch integrations share a replication slot. This is because a logical slot emits a single change only once - if multiple processes or Stitch integrations share a logical slot, only the changes that occurred after the last process/integration consumed them will be received.
Note: Replication slots are specific to a given database in a cluster. If you want to connect multiple databases - whether in one integration or several - you’ll need to create a replication slot for each database.
- Log into the master database as a superuser.
- Using the
wal2json
plugin, create a logical replication slot:-
If you’re connecting multiple databases, you’ll need to run this command for every database you want to connect, replacing
<raw_database_name>
with the name of the database:SELECT * FROM pg_create_logical_replication_slot('stitch_<raw_database_name>', 'wal2json');
This will create a replication slot named
stitch_<raw_database_name>
. -
If you’re connecting a single database, run the following command:
SELECT * FROM pg_create_logical_replication_slot('stitch', 'wal2json');
This will create a replication slot named
stitch
.
-
-
Log in as the Stitch user and verify you can read from the replication slot, replacing
<replication_slot_name>
with the name of the replication slot:SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pg_logical_slot_peek_changes('<replication_slot_name>', null, null);
If connecting multiple databases, you should verify that the Stitch user can read from each of the replication slots you created.
Note: wal2json
is required to use Log-based replication in Stitch for PostgreSQL-backed databases.
Step 4: Connect Stitch
In this step, you’ll complete the setup by entering the database’s connection details and defining replication settings in Stitch.
Step 4.1: Define the database connection details
- If you aren’t signed into your Stitch account, sign in now.
-
On the Stitch Dashboard page, click the Add Integration button.
- Locate and click the PostgreSQL icon.
-
Fill in the fields as follows:
-
Integration Name: Enter a name for the integration. This is the name that will display on the Stitch Dashboard for the integration; it’ll also be used to create the schema in your destination.
For example, the name “Stitch PostgreSQL” would create a schema called
stitch_postgresql
in the destination. Note: The schema name cannot be changed after the integration is saved. -
Host (Endpoint): Enter the host address (endpoint) used by the PostgreSQL instance. For example: This could be a network address such as
192.68.0.1
, or a server endpoint likedbname.hosting-provider.com
. -
Port: Enter the port used by the instance. The default is
5432
. -
Username: Enter the Stitch PostgreSQL database user’s username.
-
Password: Enter the password for the Stitch PostgreSQL database user.
-
Database: Enter the name of the PostgreSQL database you want to connect to Stitch. Stitch will ‘find’ all databases you give the Stitch user access to - a default database is only used to complete the connection. This is required for PostgreSQL integrations.
-
Include PostgreSQL schema names in destination tables: Checking this setting will include schema names from the source database in the destination table name - for example:
<source_schema_name>__<table_name>
.Stitch loads all selected replicated tables to a single schema, preserving only the table name. If two tables canonicalize to the same name - even if they’re in different source databases or schemas - name collision errors can arise. Checking this setting can prevent these issues.
Note: This setting can not be changed after the integration is saved. Additionally, this setting may create table names that exceed your destination’s limits. For more info, refer to the Database Integration Table Name Collisions guide.
-
Step 4.2: Define the SSH connection details
If you’re using an SSH tunnel to connect your PostgreSQL database to Stitch, you’ll also need to define the SSH settings. Refer to the Setting up an SSH Tunnel for a database connection guide for assistance with completing these fields.
-
Click the SSH Tunnel checkbox.
-
Fill in the fields as follows:
-
SSH Host: Enter the public IP address or hostname of the server Stitch will SSH into.
-
SSH Port: Enter the SSH port on your server. (
22
by default) -
SSH User: Enter the Stitch Linux (SSH) user’s username.
-
Step 4.3: Define the SSL connection details
Click the Connect using SSL checkbox if you’re using an SSL connection. Note: The database must support and allow SSL connections for this setting to work correctly.
Step 4.4: Define the Log-based Replication setting
In the Log-based Replication section, you can set this as the integration’s default Replication Method.
When enabled, tables that are set to replicate will use Log-based Incremental Replication by default. If you don’t want a table to use Log-based Incremental Replication, you can change it in the Table Settings page for that table.
If this setting isn’t enabled, you’ll have to select a Replication Method for each table you set to replicate.
Step 4.5: Create a replication schedule
In the Replication Frequency section, you’ll create the integration’s replication schedule. An integration’s replication schedule determines how often Stitch runs a replication job, and the time that job begins.
PostgreSQL integrations support the following replication scheduling methods:
-
Advanced Scheduling using Cron (Enterprise plans only)
To keep your row usage low, consider setting the integration to replicate less frequently. See the Understanding and Reducing Your Row Usage guide for tips on reducing your usage.
Step 5: Select data to replicate
The last step is to select select the tables and columns you want to replicate.
When you track a table, you’ll also need to define its Replication Method and, if using Key-based Incremental Replication, its Replication Key.
You can select tables and columns by:
- In the Integration Details page, click the Tables to Replicate tab.
- Locate a table you want to replicate.
- Click the checkbox next to the object’s name. A green checkmark means the object is set to replicate.
- If there are child objects, they’ll automatically display and you’ll be prompted to select some.
-
After you set a table to replicate, the Settings page will display. Note: When you track a table, by default all columns will also be tracked.
-
In the Settings page, define the table’s Replication Method and, if using Key-based Incremental Replication, its Replication Key.
-
Repeat this process for every table you want to replicate.
- Click the Finalize Your Selections button to save your data selections.
Initial and historical replication jobs
After you finish setting up PostgreSQL, its Sync Status may show as Pending on either the Stitch Dashboard or in the Integration Details page.
For a new integration, a Pending status indicates that Stitch is in the process of scheduling the initial replication job for the integration. This may take some time to complete.
Initial replication jobs with Anchor Scheduling
If using Anchor Scheduling, an initial replication job may not kick off immediately. This depends on the selected Replication Frequency and Anchor Time. Refer to the Anchor Scheduling documentation for more information.
Free historical data loads
The first seven days of replication, beginning when data is first replicated, are free. Rows replicated from the new integration during this time won’t count towards your quota. Stitch offers this as a way of testing new integrations, measuring usage, and ensuring historical data volumes don’t quickly consume your quota.
Related | Troubleshooting |
Questions? Feedback?
Did this article help? If you have questions or feedback, feel free to submit a pull request with your suggestions, open an issue on GitHub, or reach out to us.