Skippr Docs

Appearance

When to Use Postgres as a Source Connector ​

May 2026

The Postgres source connector is best when PostgreSQL is already the durable relational source and the team wants a clean path from table extraction into downstream analytics.

Short Answer ​

Use the Postgres source connector when PostgreSQL is already the system that owns the rows you care about and the simplest trustworthy integration is to read those rows directly. It is a strong fit when the team can provide host, port, user, password, and database details or one connection string, and when downstream consumers want relational tables rather than exported snapshots from another tool.

A good example is an application database where public.orders, public.customers, and a few supporting views already contain the exact business entities analysts want. Skippr can read those tables immediately, then evolve the same source into WAL logical replication later if keeping the destination current becomes more important than periodic extraction.

Why Teams Struggle with This ​

Postgres usually feels familiar, but the source decision still depends on scope control. A database with hundreds of tables is not automatically a good integration contract, and the jump from table reads to logical replication deserves its own review.

  • The runner needs reliable host and port access, which is often the first operational gate for cloud or private-network deployments.
  • A narrow table list is usually easier to maintain than treating the whole database as the first extract.
  • CDC depends on WAL logical replication prerequisites that go beyond ordinary read access.
  • If the source team cannot support a stable table or view contract, the raw extraction can drift quickly.

How Skippr Handles It ​

Skippr keeps Postgres flexible without making it vague. You can connect with individual fields or a full connection string, extract named tables or a query, and treat the database as the source of record from the start.

That matters because many teams eventually want more than one-off extracts. The same connector can move from a straightforward batch integration to a replication-backed current-state pipeline when the warehouse contract is ready.

  • Supports host, port, user, password, and database configuration or a single connection string.
  • Can read named tables or a custom SQL query.
  • Can evolve into WAL logical replication for CDC workflows.
  • Works well when Postgres is already the durable relational source of truth.

What the First Useful Version Looks Like ​

The first useful version is one database, one schema, and a few carefully chosen tables or views that downstream users actually recognize.

Postgres is a bad fit when the team cannot open the network path, cannot grant the required access, or should really integrate from a more curated upstream boundary than the operational database.