PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is the gold standard for relational databases, combining SQL compliance with powerful extensions. It supports JSON/JSONB, full-text search, GIS (PostGIS), time-series, and vector similarity search (pgvector). Its reliability, data integrity, and extensibility make it the default choice for serious applications. Most modern startups and enterprises choose PostgreSQL for its combination of ACID compliance, performance, and the richest feature set of any open-source database. Cloud-managed options (AWS RDS, Supabase, Neon) make it accessible to teams of any size.