October 2023 Summaries

At Neon, we are committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring your personal information is handled with the utmost care and security. Our updated Privacy Policy reflects our dedication to your privacy and aligns with the latest data protection regulations. The changes aim to provide clearer information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, as well as your rights and choices regarding your information. We have enhanced transparency, outlined data usage in more detail, and clarified your rights to access, correct, or delete your personal data. Data security measures are also reinforced, with the policy now including information on the steps taken to protect your information. The updated policy goes into effect on October 6th, 2023, and users will be agreeing to these changes by continuing to use Neon and access its website.

Neon has updated its Privacy Policy as of October 6, 2023, to better align with the latest data protection regulations and enhance transparency regarding data collection, usage, and security. The revised policy aims to clarify how personal data is processed, offering users detailed information about their rights to access, correct, or delete their data, while also outlining the company's continued investment in data security. The update emphasizes Neon's commitment to safeguarding user privacy and provides resources such as a Privacy Guide and a list of Sub-Processors to further assist users in understanding data protection measures. Users are encouraged to review the updated policy and can contact Neon's dedicated Privacy Team for any inquiries. By continuing to use Neon services, users agree to the new terms, demonstrating the company's prioritization of customer satisfaction and trust.

The new psql client in Postgres 16 simplifies secure interactive sessions by introducing a new connection string option, ?sslrootcert=system, which leverages the trusted CA certificates built into the operating system as root certs and performs proper authentication via sslmode=verify-full. This makes it easier to connect to databases while avoiding common security pitfalls such as MITM attacks, which can occur when encryption and authentication are not properly established. The new option is especially useful for users who previously connected using ?sslmode=require, which was found to be vulnerable to DNS-spoofing attacks. By utilizing the sslrootcert=system option, users can ensure their connections are secure and resistant to such attacks.

The blog post discusses the enhanced security features introduced in Postgres 16, particularly focusing on the psql client’s ability to establish secure connections to Neon databases. It highlights the introduction of the `sslrootcert=system` option, which simplifies securing connections by using the trusted CA certificates built into the operating system, ensuring both encryption and authentication. The article emphasizes the inadequacies of the `sslmode=require` setting, which, despite encrypting the connection, fails to authenticate the server, making it vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. The author demonstrates the ease of conducting such attacks through DNS spoofing and explains the importance of using `sslmode=verify-full` alongside trusted CA certificates for robust security. The text encourages users to adopt the new settings to mitigate security risks and outlines steps for ensuring secure connections across different platforms and Postgres versions.

This post explains how to create a custom analytics solution using Astro, Vercel Edge Functions, and Neon serverless Postgres database as an alternative to Google Analytics. The author demonstrates the implementation for a site built with Astro and deployed on Vercel. The solution captures site visits and allows visualization of activity on the site. Key components include a Neon serverless Postgres database, an Edge Function capable of extracting geolocation data from incoming requests, and a client-side request to the Edge Function that fires on page load. The author also provides examples of how to use the collected data for various visualizations.

The article details a method for creating a custom analytics solution using Astro, Vercel Edge Functions, and Neon, as an alternative to Google Analytics, which has retired certain functionalities with its transition from Universal Analytics to GA4. The author explains the need to devise this system due to the removal of geolocation data in GA4, which was previously used to plot visitor locations on a 3D globe. The solution involves setting up a Neon serverless Postgres database, configuring Vercel Edge Functions for geolocation extraction, and implementing client-side requests via the sendBeacon API to log page views. The data collected is securely stored and can be visualized in various ways, ensuring ownership and control over analytics data without relying on third-party platforms like Google. The author also provides insights into setting up the necessary environment and emphasizes the benefits of having a customizable and reliable analytics setup.