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cloud Priority 4/5 6/12/2026, 11:05:16 AM

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition Now Supports PostgreSQL Major Version 18

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition Now Supports PostgreSQL Major Version 18

Amazon Web Services has announced that Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition now supports PostgreSQL major version 18, beginning with version 18.3. This update integrates upstream community enhancements designed to improve query performance and streamline database administration. Users can deploy this new version on Aurora Provisioned or Aurora Serverless v2 instances across supported regions.

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Comparison

AspectBefore / AlternativeAfter / This
PostgreSQL Engine VersionPostgreSQL 17 and earlier versionsPostgreSQL major version 18 (starting with 18.3)
Bitmap Compression SupportRequires alternative bitmap implementationsBuilt-in support for the pg_roaringbitmap extension
Deployment OptionsStandard Aurora PostgreSQL cluster engine limitsFully compatible with Aurora Provisioned and Serverless v2 on version 18

Action Checklist

  1. Evaluate PostgreSQL 18.3 release notes Review community changes and deprecated features that might impact your current schemas.
  2. Test query performance in a staging environment Verify that your existing database workloads behave as expected with the new query optimizer updates.
  3. Validate extension compatibility Ensure all required third-party extensions are compatible with PostgreSQL 18 before planning the migration.
  4. Perform a dry-run upgrade using Blue/Green Deployments Use Aurora Blue/Green Deployments to minimize downtime and verify the transition process safely.

Source: AWS What's New

This page summarizes the original source. Check the source for full details.

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