About

The Site

pgref.dev was built out of frustration with the official PostgreSQL documentation — accurate and complete, but slow to navigate when you just need a quick answer under pressure.

The goal is simple: find the function you need, understand exactly how it behaves (including the edge cases), and get back to work in under 5 seconds.

It covers every built-in PostgreSQL function across 34 categories, with real SQL examples, version compatibility notes, anti-pattern warnings, and guidance for developers, DBAs, data engineers, and security engineers. SQLite and MariaDB equivalents are included where they differ.

Who built this

I'm an amateur coder — not a professional developer, not a DBA. I just enjoy building things that make everyday tasks a little less painful, for myself and for anyone else who stumbles across them.

I kept hitting the same wall: needing to know whether COALESCE or NULLIF was the right call, or forgetting the exact syntax for a window function at 2am, and having to wade through pages of official docs to find a single example. So I built the reference I wished existed.

pgref.dev is free, has no login, and never will. I just want it to be useful.

Other projects

I also built PortuStories — a European Portuguese reading app for language learners. Same idea: something that fills a gap and makes a small part of life easier.