doc/src/sgml/external-projects.sgml

   1 <!-- doc/src/sgml/external-projects.sgml -->
   2
   3  <appendix id="external-projects">
   4   <title>External Projects</title>
   5
   6   <para>
   7    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> is a complex software project,
   8    and managing the project is difficult. We have found that many
   9    enhancements to <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> can be more
  10    efficiently developed separately from the core project.
  11   </para>
  12
  13   <para>
  14    To help our community with the development of their external projects, we
  15    have created <ulink url="http://www.pgfoundry.org/">PgFoundry</ulink>, a
  16    website that provides hosting for <productname>PostgreSQL</>-related
  17    projects that are maintained outside the core <productname>PostgreSQL</>
  18    distribution. PgFoundry is built using the GForge software project and is
  19    similar to <ulink url="http://sourceforge.net">SourceForge.net</> in its
  20    feature set, providing mailing lists, forums, bug tracking, SCM, and web
  21    hosting. If you have a <productname>PostgreSQL</>-related open source
  22    project that you would like to have hosted at PgFoundry, please feel free
  23    to create a new project there.
  24   </para>
  25
  26  <sect1 id="external-interfaces">
  27   <title>Client Interfaces</title>
  28
  29   <indexterm>
  30    <primary>interfaces</primary>
  31    <secondary>externally maintained</secondary>
  32   </indexterm>
  33
  34   <para>
  35    There are only two client interfaces included in the base
  36    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> distribution:
  37    <itemizedlist>
  38     <listitem>
  39      <para>
  40       <link linkend="libpq">libpq</link> is included because it is the
  41       primary C language interface, and because many other client interfaces
  42       are built on top of it.
  43      </para>
  44     </listitem>
  45
  46     <listitem>
  47      <para>
  48       <link linkend="ecpg">ECPG</link> is included because it depends on the
  49       server-side SQL grammar, and is therefore sensitive to changes in
  50       <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> itself.
  51      </para>
  52     </listitem>
  53    </itemizedlist>
  54
  55    All other language interfaces are external projects and are distributed
  56    separately. <xref linkend="language-interface-table"> includes a list of
  57    some of these projects. Note that some of these packages might not be
  58    released under the same license as <productname>PostgreSQL</>. For more
  59    information on each language interface, including licensing terms, refer to
  60    its website and documentation.
  61   </para>
  62
  63   <table id="language-interface-table">
  64    <title>Externally Maintained Client Interfaces</title>
  65
  66    <tgroup cols="4">
  67     <thead>
  68      <row>
  69       <entry>Name</entry>
  70       <entry>Language</entry>
  71       <entry>Comments</entry>
  72       <entry>Website</entry>
  73      </row>
  74     </thead>
  75
  76     <tbody>
  77      <row>
  78       <entry>DBD::Pg</entry>
  79       <entry>Perl</entry>
  80       <entry>Perl DBI driver</entry>
  81       <entry><ulink url="http://search.cpan.org/dist/DBD-Pg/">http://search.cpan.org/dist/DBD-Pg/</ulink></entry>
  82      </row>
  83
  84      <row>
  85       <entry>JDBC</entry>
  86       <entry>JDBC</entry>
  87       <entry>Type 4 JDBC driver</entry>
  88       <entry><ulink url="http://jdbc.postgresql.org/">http://jdbc.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
  89      </row>
  90
  91      <row>
  92       <entry>libpqxx</entry>
  93       <entry>C++</entry>
  94       <entry>New-style C++ interface</entry>
  95       <entry><ulink url="http://pqxx.org/">http://pqxx.org/</ulink></entry>
  96      </row>
  97
  98      <row>
  99       <entry>Npgsql</entry>
 100       <entry>.NET</entry>
 101       <entry>.NET data provider</entry>
 102       <entry><ulink url="http://npgsql.projects.postgresql.org/">http://npgsql.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 103      </row>
 104
 105      <row>
 106       <entry>ODBCng</entry>
 107       <entry>ODBC</entry>
 108       <entry>An alternative ODBC driver</entry>
 109       <entry><ulink url="http://projects.commandprompt.com/public/odbcng/">http://projects.commandprompt.com/public/odbcng/</ulink></entry>
 110      </row>
 111
 112      <row>
 113       <entry>pgtclng</entry>
 114       <entry>Tcl</entry>
 115       <entry></entry>
 116       <entry><ulink url="http://pgfoundry.org/projects/pgtclng/">http://pgfoundry.org/projects/pgtclng/</ulink></entry>
 117      </row>
 118
 119      <row>
 120       <entry>psqlODBC</entry>
 121       <entry>ODBC</entry>
 122       <entry>The most commonly-used ODBC driver</entry>
 123       <entry><ulink url="http://psqlodbc.projects.postgresql.org/">http://psqlodbc.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 124      </row>
 125
 126      <row>
 127       <entry>psycopg</entry>
 128       <entry>Python</entry>
 129       <entry>DB API 2.0-compliant</entry>
 130       <entry><ulink url="http://www.initd.org/">http://www.initd.org/</ulink></entry>
 131      </row>
 132     </tbody>
 133    </tgroup>
 134   </table>
 135  </sect1>
 136
 137  <sect1 id="external-admin-tools">
 138  <title>Administration Tools</title>
 139
 140   <indexterm>
 141    <primary>administration tools</primary>
 142    <secondary>externally maintained</secondary>
 143   </indexterm>
 144
 145   <para>
 146    There are several administration tools available for
 147    <productname>PostgreSQL</>. The most popular is
 148    <application><ulink url="http://www.pgadmin.org/">pgAdmin III</ulink></>,
 149    and there are several commercially available ones as well.
 150   </para>
 151  </sect1>
 152
 153  <sect1 id="external-pl">
 154   <title>Procedural Languages</title>
 155
 156   <indexterm>
 157    <primary>procedural language</primary>
 158    <secondary>externally maintained</secondary>
 159   </indexterm>
 160
 161   <para>
 162    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> includes several procedural
 163    languages with the base distribution: <link
 164    linkend="plpgsql">PL/pgSQL</link>, <link linkend="pltcl">PL/Tcl</link>,
 165    <link linkend="plperl">PL/Perl</link>, and <link
 166    linkend="plpython">PL/Python</link>.
 167   </para>
 168
 169   <para>
 170    In addition, there are a number of procedural languages that are developed
 171    and maintained outside the core <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>
 172    distribution. <xref linkend="pl-language-table"> lists some of these
 173    packages. Note that some of these projects might not be released under the same
 174    license as <productname>PostgreSQL</>. For more information on each
 175    procedural language, including licensing information, refer to its website
 176    and documentation.
 177   </para>
 178
 179   <table id="pl-language-table">
 180    <title>Externally Maintained Procedural Languages</title>
 181
 182    <tgroup cols="3">
 183     <thead>
 184      <row>
 185       <entry>Name</entry>
 186       <entry>Language</entry>
 187       <entry>Website</entry>
 188      </row>
 189     </thead>
 190
 191     <tbody>
 192      <row>
 193       <entry>PL/Java</entry>
 194       <entry>Java</entry>
 195       <entry><ulink url="http://pljava.projects.postgresql.org/">http://pljava.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 196      </row>
 197
 198      <row>
 199       <entry>PL/PHP</entry>
 200       <entry>PHP</entry>
 201       <entry><ulink url="http://www.commandprompt.com/community/plphp/">http://www.commandprompt.com/community/plphp/</ulink></entry>
 202      </row>
 203
 204      <row>
 205       <entry>PL/Py</entry>
 206       <entry>Python</entry>
 207       <entry><ulink url="http://python.projects.postgresql.org/">http://python.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 208      </row>
 209
 210      <row>
 211       <entry>PL/R</entry>
 212       <entry>R</entry>
 213       <entry><ulink url="http://www.joeconway.com/plr/">http://www.joeconway.com/plr/</ulink></entry>
 214      </row>
 215
 216      <row>
 217       <entry>PL/Ruby</entry>
 218       <entry>Ruby</entry>
 219       <entry><ulink url="http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/pl-ruby/">http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/pl-ruby/</ulink></entry>
 220      </row>
 221
 222      <row>
 223       <entry>PL/Scheme</entry>
 224       <entry>Scheme</entry>
 225       <entry><ulink url="http://plscheme.projects.postgresql.org/">http://plscheme.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 226      </row>
 227
 228      <row>
 229       <entry>PL/sh</entry>
 230       <entry>Unix shell</entry>
 231       <entry><ulink url="http://plsh.projects.postgresql.org/">http://plsh.projects.postgresql.org/</ulink></entry>
 232      </row>
 233     </tbody>
 234    </tgroup>
 235   </table>
 236  </sect1>
 237
 238  <sect1 id="external-extensions">
 239  <title>Extensions</title>
 240
 241   <indexterm>
 242    <primary>extension</primary>
 243    <secondary>externally maintained</secondary>
 244   </indexterm>
 245
 246   <para>
 247    <productname>PostgreSQL</> is designed to be easily extensible. For
 248    this reason, extensions loaded into the database can function
 249    just like features that are built in. The
 250    <filename>contrib/</> directory shipped with the source code
 251    contains several extensions, which are described in
 252    <xref linkend="contrib">.  Other extensions are developed
 253    independently, like <application><ulink
 254    url="http://www.postgis.org/">PostGIS</ulink></>.  Even
 255    <productname>PostgreSQL</> replication solutions can be developed
 256    externally. For example, <application> <ulink
 257    url="http://www.slony.info">Slony-I</ulink></> is a popular
 258    master/standby replication solution that is developed independently
 259    from the core project.
 260   </para>
 261  </sect1>
 262 </appendix>