We are pleased to announce a significant milestone for the PL/Rust project: the transfer of the primary GitHub repository from github.com/tcdi/plrust to the stewardship of the PG Central Foundation at github.com/pgcentralfoundation/plrust.
Background on PL/Rust
PL/Rust is a loadable procedural language handler for PostgreSQL that enables developers to write database functions directly in the Rust programming language. Unlike traditional interpreted procedural languages, PL/Rust compiles Rust code to native machine code, delivering high performance while leveraging Rust’s strong memory safety guarantees and rich ecosystem of libraries.
Key features of PL/Rust include:
- Access to PostgreSQL’s Server Programming Interface (SPI) for dynamic queries and database operations.
- Support for a “trusted” mode on x86_64 and aarch64 Linux platforms, which enforces strict safety constraints suitable for production environments.
- Compatibility as an “untrusted” language on additional platforms, broadening its usability during development and testing.
The project has seen growing adoption in the PostgreSQL community, particularly among developers seeking safer and more performant alternatives to languages such as PL/pgSQL, PL/Python, or PL/Perl.
The Role of TCDI
TCDI has served as the original developer and primary steward of PL/Rust (as well as the related pgrx framework for building PostgreSQL extensions in Rust). Through its open-source efforts, TCDI has advanced Rust’s integration within PostgreSQL, including contributions that enabled trusted language capabilities and ongoing support for new PostgreSQL versions.
The Transfer to PG Central Foundation
The PG Central Foundation represents a community-oriented organization dedicated to sustaining and advancing critical PostgreSQL-related open-source projects, particularly those involving Rust-based extensions. A similar transition occurred earlier with the *pgrx* repository, which moved under the Foundation’s governance to promote broader collaboration and long-term maintainability.
By transferring the github.com/tcdi/plrust repository to github.com/pgcentralfoundation/plrust, the project aligns with this model of community governance. This change is intended to:
- Encourage wider participation from contributors across the PostgreSQL and Rust ecosystems.
- Ensure sustained development and timely support for future PostgreSQL releases.
- Provide a neutral, foundation-backed home that reduces reliance on any single organization.
Existing forks, issues, pull requests, stars, and watchers from the original repository have been preserved during the transfer. Users and contributors should update their local clones, remotes, and dependencies to reference the new location: git remote set-url origin https://github.com/pgcentralfoundation/plrust.git
Documentation, crates.io packages, and installation instructions will continue to be updated accordingly. The official PL/Rust website (plrust.io) and related resources remain valuable entry points for users.
Looking Ahead
This transfer marks an important step toward greater community ownership of PL/Rust. We anticipate continued innovation, including expanded platform support, enhanced trusted-mode capabilities, and integration improvements with emerging PostgreSQL features.
We have been honored to be apart of the foundational work to bring PL/Rust to maturity and we extend our appreciation to the PG Central Foundation for assuming responsibility for its ongoing stewardship. The PostgreSQL and Rust communities are stronger as a result of this collaborative transition.
For the latest updates, please visit the new repository or consult the PL/Rust documentation.
We welcome contributions, feedback, and usage reports from the community as PL/Rust continues to evolve under its new home.
John Ballard
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John is an accomplished senior software developer who understands the application development process. He is experienced in planning various development methods and has developed software using several languages including C#, Java, and C/C++.
