Why Python developers just use Postgres with Dawn Wages
03/14/25 • 60 min
When I found out that Django developer and Python Software Foundation chair Dawn Wages has a chapter in her upcoming Domain-Driven Django book called “Just Use Postgres”, I knew we had to get her on the show. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Dawn breaks down why so many Python and Django developers have such an affinity for Postgres. And we dive into the Djangonaut Space mentoring program (where contributors launch), learn why “free as in puppies” beats “free as in cake” for open source vibes, and dig into why Python is the second-best language for everything.
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Project page: psycopg
- Documentation: Psycopg 3 – PostgreSQL database adapter for Python
- Project page: PostgreSQL open source project
- Git repo: code for PostgreSQL.org website
- Conference: PyCon US 2025, happening May 14-22 in Pittsburgh
- Conference: PGConf.dev 2025 Schedule, happening May 13-16 in Montreal Canada
- Conference: Prague PostgreSQL Developer Day 2025 (P2D2) Schedule, which took place Jan 28-29
- Wikipedia page: Model-view-controller software design pattern
- Book: Professional ASP.NET MVC 1.0, affectionately called “the four heads book”
- Podcast episode: Working in Public with Simon Willison & Marco Slot
- Blog: Simon Willison’s TILs, aka Things I’ve learned
- Simon Willison’s Weblog: Here’s how I use LLMs to help me write code
- Simon Willison’s Weblog: How I make annotated presentations
- Survey: Python Developers Survey 2023 Results
- Python Docs: What’s new in Python 3.14
- Mentorship program: Djangonaut Space
- Mentorship program: Media & Talks about Djangonaut Space
- Podcast episode: Why mentor Postgres developers with Robert Haas
- Slides: PGConf EU 2024 talk by Claire Giordano about Contributions to Postgres, including maps showing how global the Postgres project is
- Video of POSETTE 2024 talk by Paolo Melchiorre: Semantic search with Django, PostgreSQL, & pgvector
- Video of Citus Con 2023 talk: Maps with Django (and PostGIS), by Paolo Melchiorre
- Video of Citus Con 2022 talk: Django with PostgreSQL superpowers, by Paolo Melchiorre
- Conference: DjangoCon Africa 2025, happening August 11-15 in Tanzania
- Calendar invite: LIVE recording of Ep26 of Talking Postgres to happen on Wed Apr 02, 2025 with guest Bruce Momjian, to talk about Open Source Leadership
When I found out that Django developer and Python Software Foundation chair Dawn Wages has a chapter in her upcoming Domain-Driven Django book called “Just Use Postgres”, I knew we had to get her on the show. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Dawn breaks down why so many Python and Django developers have such an affinity for Postgres. And we dive into the Djangonaut Space mentoring program (where contributors launch), learn why “free as in puppies” beats “free as in cake” for open source vibes, and dig into why Python is the second-best language for everything.
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Project page: psycopg
- Documentation: Psycopg 3 – PostgreSQL database adapter for Python
- Project page: PostgreSQL open source project
- Git repo: code for PostgreSQL.org website
- Conference: PyCon US 2025, happening May 14-22 in Pittsburgh
- Conference: PGConf.dev 2025 Schedule, happening May 13-16 in Montreal Canada
- Conference: Prague PostgreSQL Developer Day 2025 (P2D2) Schedule, which took place Jan 28-29
- Wikipedia page: Model-view-controller software design pattern
- Book: Professional ASP.NET MVC 1.0, affectionately called “the four heads book”
- Podcast episode: Working in Public with Simon Willison & Marco Slot
- Blog: Simon Willison’s TILs, aka Things I’ve learned
- Simon Willison’s Weblog: Here’s how I use LLMs to help me write code
- Simon Willison’s Weblog: How I make annotated presentations
- Survey: Python Developers Survey 2023 Results
- Python Docs: What’s new in Python 3.14
- Mentorship program: Djangonaut Space
- Mentorship program: Media & Talks about Djangonaut Space
- Podcast episode: Why mentor Postgres developers with Robert Haas
- Slides: PGConf EU 2024 talk by Claire Giordano about Contributions to Postgres, including maps showing how global the Postgres project is
- Video of POSETTE 2024 talk by Paolo Melchiorre: Semantic search with Django, PostgreSQL, & pgvector
- Video of Citus Con 2023 talk: Maps with Django (and PostGIS), by Paolo Melchiorre
- Video of Citus Con 2022 talk: Django with PostgreSQL superpowers, by Paolo Melchiorre
- Conference: DjangoCon Africa 2025, happening August 11-15 in Tanzania
- Calendar invite: LIVE recording of Ep26 of Talking Postgres to happen on Wed Apr 02, 2025 with guest Bruce Momjian, to talk about Open Source Leadership
Previous Episode
Why mentor Postgres developers with Robert Haas
Nobody works on an open-source project forever—eventually, people move on. So of course today's Postgres contributors want to see more developers join the project, pick up the torch, and continue to make Postgres amazing. Hence the importance of mentorship. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, PostgreSQL major contributor and committer Robert Haas shares how he learned the ropes in Postgres by channeling “what would Tom Lane do” during patch reviews; why he launched the new PostgreSQL Hackers Mentoring program; and the intellectually stimulating care and feeding it takes to make Postgres thrive.
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Podcast episode: Becoming a Postgres committer with Melanie Plageman
- Slide: PGConf EU 2024 talk by Claire Giordano about Contributions to Postgres, including new mentoring program
- Blog post: New Mentoring Program for Code Contributors in Postgres, by Robert Haas
- Blog post: Postgres Mentoring Program Updates, by Robert Haas
- Discord invite for PostgreSQL Hacker Mentoring server: https://discord.gg/bx2G9KWyrY
- Bio: Margo Seltzer, the PGConf.dev 2024 keynote speaker
- Video: PGConf.dev 2024 panel discussion about Making PostgreSQL Hacking More Inclusive with Amit Langote, Masahiko Sawada, Melanie Plageman, & Robert Haas
- Mailing list: PostgreSQL Hackers
- Upcoming Conference: PGConf.dev 2025, the annual PostgreSQL Development Conference happening in Montreal Canada on May 13-16, 2025
- Blog: Postgres committer Tomas Vondra’s Blog - Look for [PATCH IDEA]
- Video of Talk: CMUDB Database talk about PostgreSQL Optimizer Methodology, by Robert Haas
- Podcast episode: How I got started as a developer & in Postgres with David Rowley
- Calendar invite: LIVE recording of Ep25 of Talking Postgres podcast to happen on Wed Mar 12, 2025 with guest Dawn Wages of the Python developer community
Next Episode
Open Source Leadership with Bruce Momjian
What does it take to lead a global open source project like Postgres? In Episode 26 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, we sit down with Bruce Momjian—co-founder and core team member of the PostgreSQL Global Development Group—to explore the art of leadership in a volunteer-run open source community. Bruce shares what “servant leadership” really means; how saying I’m sorry can help make problems go away; and how letting go of who-gets-the-credit can fuel collaboration. We also dive into Bruce’s origin story, from shaping Postgres’s early days to mastering the art of public speaking. Pro tip: if you see a man in a bow tie at a Postgres conference, be sure to say hello—it’s probably Bruce Momjian!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Open source project website: postgresql.org
- Website: Bruce Momjian
- Video of talk: Building Open Source Teams at FOSDEM 2023
- Slides: FOSDEM talk on Building Open Source Teams
- Wikipedia: John C. Maxwell
- Harry Truman quote: It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit
- The New Stack: How to Generate AI From a Database
- EDB Blog: Bruce Momjian’s Insights from PGConf India 2025
- Conference schedule: PGConf India 2025
- Book: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- Video of talk: Why Database Teams Need Crew Resource Management by Chris Travers
- Wikipedia: Anna Karenina principle
- Talking Postgres podcast: Why mentor Postgres developers with Robert Haas
- Discord invite: PostgreSQL Hacking server
- Mailing lists: PostgreSQL mailing lists
- Conference: PostgreSQL Conference Nepal 2025 happening May 5-6
- Conference: PostgreSQL Conference Germany 2025 on May 8-9
- Conference: POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 on Jun 10-12
- Upcoming POSETTE 2025 keynote: Databases in the AI Trenches by Bruce Momjian
- Conference: SouthEast | LinuxFest on Jun 13-15 in Charlotte NC
- Conference: Swiss PGDay 2025 happening Jun 26-27
- Conference: PGDay Austria 2025 happening in Vienna on Sep 4
- Conference: PGDay UK 2025 happening in London on Sep 9
- Conference: PGDay Lowlands 2025 happening in Rotterdam on Sep 12
- Video from PGConf.dev 2024: Making PostgreSQL Hacking More Inclusive
- Talking Postgres podcast: How I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David Rowley
- Wikipedia: O'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON)
- Calendar invite: LIVE recording of Ep27 of Talking Postgres to happen on Wed May 07 with guest Peter Farkas. The topic: “How I got started with FerretDB (& why we chose Postgres)”
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