The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has released the first beta of PostgreSQL 18, with the final release slated for late September 2026.
Asynchronous I/O
The new async I/O subsystem (configurable via io_method=io_uring on Linux) overlaps disk reads with computation, delivering 30-70% throughput improvements on analytical queries that scan large tables. On NVMe storage, sequential scans approach hardware bandwidth limits.
UUIDv7 Support
New built-in function uuidv7() generates time-ordered UUIDs that index beautifully in B-trees — eliminating the classic tradeoff between UUID uniqueness and index locality. Existing uuid columns can store v7 values without schema changes.
B-Tree Skip Scans
The planner can now use a multi-column B-tree index even when a leading column isn't in the WHERE clause, via skip scan. This removes the need for many redundant indexes and simplifies schema design for wide dimension tables.
Other Highlights
- Virtual generated columns
- OAuth authentication built in
- Logical replication of sequences
- MERGE with RETURNING clause
