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Understand the role of the write-ahead log in PostgreSQL. Bruce Momjian (EDB) explains it in his talk “The Wonderful World of WAL” at POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2026. Abstract: The Postgres write-ahead log, or WAL, is basically a change-log for the database. It enables several important Postgres features: crash recovery, point-in-time recovery, and binary and logical replication. This talk explains what is stored in the WAL, how binary and logical replication work, and how replication slots track replication progress.
Bruce Momjian is co-founder and core team member of the PostgreSQL Global Development Group, and has worked on PostgreSQL since 1996. He has been employed by EDB since 2006. He has spoken at many international open-source conferences and is the author of PostgreSQL: Introduction and Concepts, published by Addison-Wesley. Prior to his involvement with PostgreSQL, Bruce worked as a consultant, developing custom database applications for some of the world’s largest law firms.
► Video chapters:
⏩ 00:00 – Music & introduction
⏩ 00:49 – Outline, WAL fundamentals & history
⏩ 02:39 – How WAL works within Postgres
⏩ 04:00 – Inspecting WAL records with tools
⏩ 07:53 – Deep dive into WAL record details
⏩ 09:27 – Crash recovery explained step-by-step
⏩ 15:35 – Continuous archiving & backups
⏩ 20:58 – Physical replication overview
⏩ 22:13 – Logical replication flexibility
⏩ 24:13 – Replication slots & WAL retention
⏩ 25:35 – Closing remarks
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