pgwatch

pgwatch is a self-hosted monitoring tool for PostgreSQL operators who want to collect and shape database metrics within their own infrastructure. Its strongest case is flexible, low-privilege collection across varied PostgreSQL deployments; managed-cloud restrictions can leave gaps in operating-system visibility.

Overview

A remote daemon periodically connects to PostgreSQL databases and reads their statistics, using an ordinary database account rather than special privileges or server-side extensions. That keeps the collector separate from the databases it monitors and suits teams that want to avoid changing database servers for monitoring.

pgwatch supports PostgreSQL 14 and newer. It covers standalone databases, high-availability clusters, PgBouncer and Pgpool II pooled environments, and Patroni-managed clusters. CYBERTEC positions it for large infrastructures, including deployments with thousands of systems. Organizations with strict data-residency requirements can run it fully on premises.

Key features

Metrics and analysis

Query analysis, wait and lock analysis, resource metrics, and query plan capture give operators several useful views of database behavior. Metrics can be extended with pure SQL, through the configuration database or YAML files. That flexibility is valuable for teams with specific monitoring needs, but it assumes they can define and maintain those additions themselves.

Dashboards and operations

Grafana presents collected metrics, and users can build additional graphs. Optional Grafana alerting supports Mail, Slack, and PagerDuty. Storage options are PostgreSQL, Prometheus, JSON File, and RPC, while the built-in web interface manages monitored databases and metric presets and displays logs. This is a configurable operational toolkit rather than a single fixed dashboard.

Deployment and support

The product page describes a one-minute Docker installation, with custom installations also possible. CYBERTEC says its international team is available around the clock for technical backup. Its support packages include bug fixes for extensions in Standard, Professional, and Enterprise tiers; ticket-system access is included in Professional and Enterprise. CYBERTEC also states that it holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO 14001 certifications and has completed the TISAX assessment.

Pricing

Open Source: free. This open-source software is free to extend and supports PostgreSQL 14 and newer. It is the fit for teams able to deploy and operate their own monitoring stack; the plan is self-hosted, so it does not remove the work of managing that infrastructure.

Platforms

pgwatch is self-hosted and web-based. Its on-premises deployment can meet data-residency requirements, while the web interface provides database, metric-preset, and log management. The collector can monitor cloud-managed PostgreSQL, but provider restrictions may prevent access to some operating-system-level metrics.

Who it's for

pgwatch is a strong fit for PostgreSQL teams that need monitoring across individual instances, clusters, pooled environments, or Patroni-managed systems and want to customize metrics in SQL. It is less suitable when a team needs complete operating-system visibility from a cloud-managed database or wants monitoring without operating a self-hosted stack.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Collection uses a normal database user without special rights or server-side extensions, reducing changes required on monitored databases.
• Pro: SQL-defined metrics, four storage choices, and Grafana dashboards let teams tailor collection and presentation to their environment.
• Pro: Support for high-availability, pooled, and Patroni-managed deployments gives it reach beyond standalone databases.
• Con: Cloud-provider restrictions can make some operating-system metrics unavailable, limiting visibility for managed PostgreSQL users.
• Con: Its self-hosted model and configurable metrics are best suited to teams prepared to run the stack and maintain their monitoring definitions.

Alternatives

For a broader application-observability service with an always-free tier, consider Grafana Cloud Application Observability; its Free plan includes 2,232 host hours, while the Pro plan is $0.03 a month with usage billed at $0.025 per host hour and a $19 monthly platform fee.

If the database choice itself is open, MySQL is a freemium alternative with a Community Edition described for SQL and NoSQL applications and replication and high-availability components.

DBmarlin is another freemium database-monitoring option.

For AWS-managed relational databases, Amazon RDS is a paid service with a free plan and trial; its AWS Free Tier credits are valid for up to 12 months.

Percona Monitoring and Management is a free, open-source database monitoring, management, and observability option, though installation infrastructure may have separate costs.

For SQL Server query tuning on Windows, AI SQL Tuner Studio offers a free plan limited to SQL Server Developer Edition, with paid plans beginning at $10 a month.

For database monitoring across a broader set of platforms, Site24x7 Database Monitoring is a paid service with a free plan and trial; its Lite plan is $9 a month, billed annually.

Sematext Container Monitoring is a paid container-monitoring alternative with a Basic plan starting at $2.80 a month.

Browse more options in Database Performance Monitoring Software.

Verdict

Choose pgwatch if you operate PostgreSQL and want an extensible, self-hosted collector that spans complex deployment patterns without requiring special database privileges. Its free, open-source model is compelling for teams prepared to manage their own monitoring stack. Look elsewhere if cloud-provider restrictions would leave critical operating-system metrics out of view or if you need a managed monitoring service.