PostgreSQL Background processes

PostgreSQL has numerous background processes each has its own role to play for the successful functioning of the database.

List of PostgreSQL background processes:

• Background writer
• Checkpointer
• Autovacuum launcher
• WAL writer
• Statistics collector
• Logging collector
• Archiver

Let’s discuss about each background process in detail.I have made this post as multi part so that we can discuss about each background process in detail. Follow the link provided on each background process for further details.

Background writer: Periodically writes the dirty buffer to a file.More about Background writer can be found here.

Checkpointer: When a checkpoint occurs, the dirty buffer is written to the file.More about Checkpointer can be found here.

Autovacuum launcher: Fork autovacuum worker when autovacuum is enabled.It is the responsibility of the autovacuum daemon to carry vacuum operations on bloated tables on demand.More about Autovacuum launcher can be found here.

WAL writer: Write the WAL buffer to the WAL file.More about WAL writer can be found here.

Statistics collector: DBMS usage statistics such as session execution information ( pg_stat_activity ) and table usage statistical information ( pg_stat_all_tables ) are collected.More about Statistics collector can be found here.

Logging collector: Write the error message to the log file.More about Logging collector can be found here.

Archiver: When in Archive.log mode, copy the WAL file to the specified directory.

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