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Ahmad Tashfeen
Ahmad Tashfeen

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Understanding the Logical Structure of PostgreSQL

What is a Database Cluster?

A database cluster is a collection of databases looked after by one PostgreSQL server. Don't get confused - a database cluster isn't a group of database servers. Just one server runs on one computer and deals with one database cluster.

Visualisation of Databases and Database Clusters

Stepping into the Database Cluster

Each database within a cluster in PostgreSQL is logically separated from the others. This implies that each database has a unique set of database objects that only belong to that database. A specific database's tables, indexes, and other objects, for instance, are only accessible within that database.

Object Identifiers (OIDs)

Each database object in PostgreSQL is managed by an object identifier (OID), a 4-byte unsigned integer. Depending on the type of object, the relationships between database objects and the corresponding OIDs are stored in the appropriate system catalogues. For instance, heap tables' _and _databases' OIDs are stored in the respective pg_database and pg_class.

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