## Database for PostgreSQL

### Azure Database for PostgreSQL — commitment brief

> **Data sourced**: March 2026. Verify current figures at the [Azure Pricing Calculator](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/).

### Coverage summary

Azure Database for PostgreSQL — Flexible Server supports reserved capacity for compute costs, with discounts up to \~65% vs. pay-as-you-go depending on region and performance tier. Reservations are scoped to a region, performance tier, hardware generation, and vCore count. The legacy Single Server product reached end of support in March 2025 and is retired. Additionally, the Azure Database Savings Plan (a separate 1-year savings instrument) explicitly covers Azure Database for PostgreSQL, providing flexibility for workloads where region or tier may shift.

**What is covered**: vCore compute costs for Flexible Server instances across General Purpose and Memory-Optimized tiers (via reservations), or infrastructure and software costs across eligible database tiers (via the Database Savings Plan).

**What is not covered**: Storage (billed per GB), backup storage, networking/egress, I/O operations. Compute consumption beyond the reserved vCore count is billed at pay-as-you-go rates. Reservations do not auto-renew.

### Azure Hybrid Benefit

> Not applicable. PostgreSQL is open-source with no Microsoft-owned software license component. AHB is not available for this service.

### SKU / tier coverage

| SKU / Tier                         | Reservation | Savings Plan  | 1-yr discount    | 3-yr discount | Notes                                                        |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------- | ---------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Flexible Server — General Purpose  | ✅ Yes       | ✅ Yes (DB SP) | varies by region | up to \~65%   | DB Savings Plan provides flexible alternative to reservation |
| Flexible Server — Memory-Optimized | ✅ Yes       | ✅ Yes (DB SP) | varies by region | up to \~65%   |                                                              |
| Single Server (all tiers)          | ❌ No        | ❌ No          | —                | —             | Retired March 2025; no new reservations available            |

### Reservation vs. Azure Database Savings Plan

**Reservation**: Scoped to a specific region, performance tier, hardware generation, and vCore count. Delivers the highest discount (up to \~65% at 3-yr) for stable Flexible Server deployments with predictable vCore footprint.

**Azure Database Savings Plan** *(1-yr only)*: Hourly spend commitment covering infrastructure and software IP costs across Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and other eligible managed database services. Flexible — automatically applies across regions and eligible database engines. Best for organizations with mixed database estates or workloads that shift regions. Up to \~35% savings vs. pay-as-you-go.

The standard Azure Compute Savings Plan does not cover managed database services.

## Regional availability

Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server reservations are available in all commercial Azure regions where the service is deployed. Reservations are region-scoped and performance-tier-scoped. Hardware generation availability varies by region — verify that your desired hardware generation is available in your target region before purchasing.

**Notable exclusions**: Azure Government and Azure China regions are not supported for PostgreSQL Flexible Server reservations. The retired Single Server product is not eligible for reservations in any region.

⚠️ Availability varies by SKU and region. Always verify in the [Azure portal](https://portal.azure.com) or via the [Azure Retail Pricing API](https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices) before purchasing.

### Archera

Azure Database for PostgreSQL — Flexible Server is within Archera's commitment management scope. Archera can automate reservation purchase, monitor vCore utilization by tier, and wrap commitments in a GRI/GSP — eliminating downside risk on over-committed database compute.

***

**Sources**

* [Prepay for Azure Database for PostgreSQL compute with reserved capacity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/postgresql/configure-maintain/concepts-reserved-pricing)
* [Announcing savings plan for databases](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/finopsblog/announcing-savings-plan-for-databases-flexible-savings-for-modern-evolving-workl/4503107)
* [What are Azure savings plans?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/savings-plan/savings-plan-overview)

⚠️ Discount percentages vary by region, tier, and vCore count. Always verify with the [Azure Pricing Calculator](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/).