PostgreSQL

ApplicationPostgreSQL Global Development Group

Also called postgres, pgsql

PostgreSQL Global Development GroupProductivity

The PostgreSQL database server. On Windows the service process is postgres.exe. The installer can also add pgAdmin. It is not MySQL.

What you need to know

PostgreSQL is postgres.exe. MySQL is mysqld.exe.

postgres.exe is the PostgreSQL server. The Windows installer can add pgAdmin. MySQL is a different server. DBeaver and pgAdmin are clients, not the engine.

What is it?: PostgreSQL database server
Same as MySQL?: No. Different engine and exe
Is pgAdmin required?: No. The installer can add it

Feex says

If postgres.exe is running, I treat it as the database server. I would not stop mysqld.exe to free Postgres, and I would not uninstall pgAdmin to remove the server.

What is PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL is the database server. postgres.exe is the Windows process. It is not MySQL, not pgAdmin, and not DBeaver.

If you have never used it

If a class said install PostgreSQL, use the Windows installer from postgresql.org/download/windows. postgres.exe is the server. Checking pgAdmin in the installer adds pgAdmin4.exe. That GUI is optional. MySQL is a different engine with mysqld.exe. DBeaver can connect to either.

What is it used for?

Store relational data

Schemas, SQL, and roles. mysqld.exe is a different engine on a different port by default.

Windows service

The installer can register postgresql-x64-##. That service is not MySQL80.

Optional pgAdmin

A checkbox on the EDB installer. Unchecking it still installs the server.

Who is it for?

Developers whose stack is Postgres
Students whose README assumes port 5432
Anyone who installed MySQL and wondered why psql was missing

Current status

PostgreSQL (1996) is a current database server from PostgreSQL Global Development Group. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/.

How old is it?

PostgreSQL traces to the 1990s. Current Windows installers ship recent 16/17-line servers. It is the same generation as MySQL and older than MongoDB Compass. A 7.x Cygwin-era note is history.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows installer

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per current PostgreSQL Windows notes
RAM	1 GB class is tight. Official docs treat RAM as a server tuning question

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
postgres.exe	PostgreSQL server process

Startup components

The installer can start the service at boot. That is postgres.exe, not pgAdmin.

File locations

Common PostgreSQL locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\<version>\

File formats

SQLdumpcustom format

Common problems

Port 5432 already in use

A leftover Postgres service or Docker container can steal it. MySQL's default 3306 is a different port.

People uninstall pgAdmin and think the server is gone

pgAdmin4.exe is the GUI. The service and postgres.exe can stay.

Getting unstuck

Install from postgresql.org/download/windows

The project points at the EDB installer. A random Postgres zip is junk.

Services.msc: postgresql-x64-##

That is this engine. MySQL80 is the other vendor.

psql -U postgres or pgAdmin to test a login

Workbench will not speak Postgres as its first protocol.

Alternatives

MySQL if the stack is MySQL. SQLite for a file-based DB. DBeaver or pgAdmin for a GUI.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.postgresql.org/download/windows/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.postgresql.org/docs/ Vendor support
Official site	www.postgresql.org/ Start here, not a random exe host
Windows installers	www.enterprisedb.com/downloads/postgres-postgresql-downloads EDB installer the project points at

Related hardware

The server wants RAM for shared_buffers and disk for the data directory. A GPU is irrelevant.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

PostgreSQL official site · Vendor product page
PostgreSQL help · Vendor support
PostgreSQL documentation · Official server docs
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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