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I think you and this app are solving quite different problems. For you (and most people replying) it sounds like PostgreSQL is a component in a larger app that

by dagw 5y ago

I think you and this app are solving quite different problems. For you (and most people replying) it sounds like PostgreSQL is a component in a larger app that will eventually get deployed and run somewhere else and only be interacted with via that app. Others (like myself) use PostgreSQL as a local datastore and analysis engine. All my interaction with the database is via ad hoc SQL commands and locally run scripts and desktop applications. For this usecase, something like this is much easier to use than docker compose.

smt88 5y ago
> I think you and this app are solving quite different problems. No, they're not. You both just want a Postgres instance you can access locally. The major difference is that Postgres.app does not seem to do a good job of separating different databases. > All my interaction with the database is via ad hoc SQL commands and locally run scripts and desktop applications. You can do this with DBs built by Docker as well, with the added benefit that you can erase and rebuild them whenever you want, and they're separated by project.
ianai 5y ago
What’s your use case? (Whatever you’re comfortable sharing.)
- dagw 5y ago
  'small'[1] data analysis often with a geospatial component. [1] ie data easily fits on a single hard drive.
- kleinsch 5y ago
  I set up postgres.app for my wife, who's a PM. She used it to crunch data that was too big for Excel, her previous tool of choice.
  - easton 5y ago
    I'm curious, why postgres.app and not SQLite? I'd usually reach for SQLite as my next step up from Excel, but maybe that's wrong (it's very possible that you're talking about an order of magnitude more data than I am).
    - rmnclmnt 5y ago
      Don’t know why you’re being downvoted, SQLite is a perfect companion for local adhoc data analysis, up to a few GB of data. It is even supported by OSS BI tools like Metabase, so its a no brainer compared to a full blown PG!
    - afavour 5y ago
      Not the OP but I never found a good GUI for SQLite. Postico is a fantastic GUI for Postgres. I’ll admit it’s been a very long time since I’ve looked, though.
      - mekster 5y ago
        What's wrong with TablePlus?
    - dagw 5y ago
      On the whole I've found that the tooling around postgres/postgis is always slightly better. Most other people publising scripts and tools for doing various types of analysis also seem to use postgres/postgis so it's more likely to be able to borrow someone else's good idea. Postgres/PostGIS has a whole bunch of features and commands that sqlite/spatialite don't have and even if don't think I'll need them it's always nice to have the option. And since installing and setting up Postges on windows and mac is just a single download and double-click these days, there really isn't a good reason not to do so.
    - kleinsch 5y ago
      They’re both easy. For someone who’s never touched Terminal.app, I figured something packaged like a standard Mac app would be easier to work with.

by dagw 5y ago

smt88 5y ago

> I think you and this app are solving quite different problems. No, they're not. You both just want a Postgres instance you can access locally. The major difference is that Postgres.app does not seem to do a good job of separating different databases. > All my interaction with the database is via ad hoc SQL commands and locally run scripts and desktop applications. You can do this with DBs built by Docker as well, with the added benefit that you can erase and rebuild them whenever you want, and they're separated by project.

ianai 5y ago

What’s your use case? (Whatever you’re comfortable sharing.)

dagw 5y ago
'small'[1] data analysis often with a geospatial component. [1] ie data easily fits on a single hard drive.
kleinsch 5y ago
I set up postgres.app for my wife, who's a PM. She used it to crunch data that was too big for Excel, her previous tool of choice.
- easton 5y ago
  I'm curious, why postgres.app and not SQLite? I'd usually reach for SQLite as my next step up from Excel, but maybe that's wrong (it's very possible that you're talking about an order of magnitude more data than I am).
  - rmnclmnt 5y ago
    Don’t know why you’re being downvoted, SQLite is a perfect companion for local adhoc data analysis, up to a few GB of data. It is even supported by OSS BI tools like Metabase, so its a no brainer compared to a full blown PG!
  - afavour 5y ago
    Not the OP but I never found a good GUI for SQLite. Postico is a fantastic GUI for Postgres. I’ll admit it’s been a very long time since I’ve looked, though.
    - mekster 5y ago
      What's wrong with TablePlus?
  - dagw 5y ago
    On the whole I've found that the tooling around postgres/postgis is always slightly better. Most other people publising scripts and tools for doing various types of analysis also seem to use postgres/postgis so it's more likely to be able to borrow someone else's good idea. Postgres/PostGIS has a whole bunch of features and commands that sqlite/spatialite don't have and even if don't think I'll need them it's always nice to have the option. And since installing and setting up Postges on windows and mac is just a single download and double-click these days, there really isn't a good reason not to do so.
  - kleinsch 5y ago
    They’re both easy. For someone who’s never touched Terminal.app, I figured something packaged like a standard Mac app would be easier to work with.