PostgreSQL — Prerequisites
What You Need Before Starting
1. Basic SQL (required)
SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and simple JOINs. This course's own
Fundamentals tab starts directly with PostgreSQL-specific data types and
patterns (JSONB, IDENTITY columns, upserts) rather than re-teaching basic
SQL from scratch — if writing a plain SELECT ... WHERE ... JOIN query isn't
yet comfortable, this platform's own SQL Mastery technology is the right
starting point first.
2. Comfort with the command line (recommended, not required)
Most of this course's examples run through psql, PostgreSQL's command-line
client. The Installation tab does cover GUI-only paths (Postgres.app on Mac,
the Windows installer + pgAdmin) if a terminal genuinely isn't an option yet,
but psql is what the rest of the course — Fundamentals through
Troubleshooting — actually uses throughout, so building basic comfort with it
early pays off.
3. Docker, if using the fastest setup path (helpful, not required)
The Installation tab's quickest option is a single docker run command. Native
package installs (Ubuntu's apt, Homebrew) and platform installers are also
covered if Docker isn't set up yet.
4. What you do *not* need yet
general SQL fluency, not prior Postgres-specific knowledge; JSONB, MVCC,
window functions, and every other PostgreSQL-distinctive feature are
explained from scratch as they're introduced.
connection pooling are covered as this course progresses (Intermediate
through Troubleshooting), not assumed upfront.
PostgreSQL-vs-MySQL comparison is there for context if useful, not a
requirement to understand first.
Quick self-check
Can you already write, without looking anything up, a query like "find every
order over $100 for a given customer, joined against that customer's name"?
If yes, you're ready to start at Fundamentals. If that query itself feels
unclear, spend time on this platform's SQL Mastery technology first — the
PostgreSQL-specific material here builds directly on that foundation rather
than re-covering it.