Better Than PostgreSQL! In-Place Index Updates with YugabyteDB

YugabyteDB, a fork of PostgreSQL, addresses a key limitation in PostgreSQL's update mechanism by introducing in-place index updates, which improve efficiency by only updating necessary columns rather than creating complete row copies and updating all indexes. This enhancement, available in YugabyteDB versions 2.23.1 (preview) and 2024.2.1 (stable), leverages LSM Tree technology to reduce the overhead associated with the traditional delete-insert update method in PostgreSQL. The approach allows for better query performance and the inclusion of more indexes without the typical performance penalties. While PostgreSQL updates involve reading and writing full pages and maintaining all indexes, YugabyteDB's method minimizes unnecessary index maintenance and reduces network latency through fewer write flushes and network calls. This makes it advantageous to index all columns involved in queries in YugabyteDB, contrasting with PostgreSQL, where indexing should be minimized to avoid excessive overhead.