What Is Replication Slots in Postgres?

Replication slots are a PostgreSQL feature that allow multiple servers to replicate a database. A database is replicated when the data is copied to a new server, and the new server becomes an authoritative copy of the data.

The original server (the source) remains the primary server for the database, and the new server (the Target) becomes a replica of the source.

Replication slots provide an efficient way to replicate a database. The number of replication slots is determined by the size of the database and the number of servers that will be replicating it.

If there are more servers than replication slots available, then some of the servers will have to drop their replica status and become primary servers.

The benefits of using replication slots include:

-Reduced network traffic. Because replication occurs only when data needs to be copied, rather than constantly streaming data between servers, replication traffic is typically much lower than that caused by traditional full-blown replication solutions.

-Improved failover performance. When a primary server becomes unavailable, replication slots can quickly switch over to a replica server without causing any disruption to user applications.

This eliminates the need for users to switch to different applications or wait for long periods while failover occurs.

-Reduced maintenance costs. Replication slots can be used to maintain a standby copy of a database on another server in case of failure or disaster recovery purposes.

This reduces the need for maintenance personnel to physically access each copy of the database and make updates or corrections.

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