Error Handling

data_sync_retry

• What it does: Controls whether PostgreSQL continues operating after encountering a failure to sync data files to disk.
• Why it matters: This parameter determines how the database responds to critical I/O errors during data synchronization. When enabled, it allows the database to continue running despite sync failures, trading off data durability for availability. This is crucial for high-availability systems where temporary storage issues shouldn't cause immediate service disruption, but it risks data loss if sync failures persist.
• Ideal value & Best Practice: Default on is recommended for most production environments. However, ensure you have robust monitoring for sync errors and immediate alerting. If sync failures occur, investigate and resolve the underlying storage issues promptly. For systems where data integrity is absolutely critical, consider setting to off to force immediate failure and prevent potential data corruption.

exit_on_error

• What it does: Determines whether the entire session is terminated immediately when any error is encountered.
• Why it matters: This parameter controls how aggressively the database responds to errors. When enabled, even minor errors cause session termination, which can prevent partial operation execution and maintain transaction integrity. However, it may cause excessive connection churn and application disruptions for non-critical errors.
• Ideal value & Best Practice: Default off is appropriate for most production environments. Setting to on can be useful during development or testing to catch errors early, but in production it may cause unnecessary application disruptions. Consider enabling for specific sessions where absolute error intolerance is required.

recovery_init_sync_method

• What it does: Sets the method used to synchronize the data directory before starting crash recovery.
• Why it matters: This parameter affects how PostgreSQL ensures data consistency during recovery after an unclean shutdown. Different synchronization methods offer varying trade-offs between recovery speed and data safety. The chosen method can impact recovery time and the thoroughness of data consistency checks.
• Ideal value & Best Practice: Default fsync provides the strongest guarantees but may be slower. syncfs can be faster on modern filesystems. Use the default unless you have specific performance requirements and thoroughly understand the implications. Test recovery procedures with your chosen method to ensure reliability.

restart_after_crash

• What it does: Controls whether the PostgreSQL server automatically restarts after a backend crash.
• Why it matters: This parameter is crucial for maintaining database availability. When enabled, it ensures the server can recover from isolated backend crashes without manual intervention. However, automatically restarting after certain types of crashes might perpetuate problems or hide underlying issues that need investigation.
• Ideal value & Best Practice: Default on is recommended for production environments to maximize availability. However, implement additional monitoring to detect and alert on frequent restarts, which may indicate deeper problems. For development environments, you might set to off to preserve crash state for debugging.

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