Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql (.NET)

Azure Resource Manager SDK for managing PostgreSQL Flexible Server deployments.

Installation

dotnet add package Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql
dotnet add package Azure.Identity

Current Version: v1.2.0 (GA)
API Version: 2023-12-01-preview

Note: This skill focuses on PostgreSQL Flexible Server. Single Server is deprecated and scheduled for retirement.

Environment Variables

AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID=<your-subscription-id>  # Required: Azure subscription ID
AZURE_RESOURCE_GROUP=<your-resource-group>  # Required: resource group name
AZURE_POSTGRESQL_SERVER_NAME=<your-postgresql-server>  # Required: PostgreSQL Flexible Server name
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod  # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production

Authentication

using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.ResourceManager;
using Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql;
using Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql.FlexibleServers;

// Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
var credential = new DefaultAzureCredential(
    DefaultAzureCredential.DefaultEnvironmentVariableName
);
// Or use a specific credential directly in production:
// See https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-dotnet#credential-classes
// var credential = new ManagedIdentityCredential();
ArmClient client = new ArmClient(credential);

Resource Hierarchy

Subscription
└── ResourceGroup
    └── PostgreSqlFlexibleServer              # PostgreSQL Flexible Server instance
        ├── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabase  # Database within the server
        ├── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRule # IP firewall rules
        ├── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfiguration # Server parameters
        ├── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackup    # Backup information
        ├── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministrator # Entra ID admin
        └── PostgreSqlFlexibleServerVirtualEndpoint # Read replica endpoints

Core Workflows

1. Create PostgreSQL Flexible Server

using Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql.FlexibleServers;
using Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql.FlexibleServers.Models;

ResourceGroupResource resourceGroup = await client
    .GetDefaultSubscriptionAsync()
    .Result
    .GetResourceGroupAsync("my-resource-group");

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerCollection servers = resourceGroup.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServers();

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData data = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData(AzureLocation.EastUS)
{
    Sku = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSku("Standard_D2ds_v4", PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSkuTier.GeneralPurpose),
    AdministratorLogin = "pgadmin",
    AdministratorLoginPassword = "YourSecurePassword123!",
    Version = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerVersion.Ver16,
    Storage = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerStorage
    {
        StorageSizeInGB = 128,
        AutoGrow = StorageAutoGrow.Enabled,
        Tier = PostgreSqlStorageTierName.P30
    },
    Backup = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackupProperties
    {
        BackupRetentionDays = 7,
        GeoRedundantBackup = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerGeoRedundantBackupEnum.Disabled
    },
    HighAvailability = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerHighAvailability
    {
        Mode = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerHighAvailabilityMode.ZoneRedundant,
        StandbyAvailabilityZone = "2"
    },
    AvailabilityZone = "1",
    AuthConfig = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerAuthConfig
    {
        ActiveDirectoryAuth = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAuthEnum.Enabled,
        PasswordAuth = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerPasswordAuthEnum.Enabled
    }
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource> operation = await servers
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "my-postgresql-server", data);

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server = operation.Value;
Console.WriteLine($"Server created: {server.Data.FullyQualifiedDomainName}");

2. Create Database

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server = await resourceGroup
    .GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerAsync("my-postgresql-server");

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseCollection databases = server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabases();

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseData dbData = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseData
{
    Charset = "UTF8",
    Collation = "en_US.utf8"
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseResource> operation = await databases
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "myappdb", dbData);

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseResource database = operation.Value;
Console.WriteLine($"Database created: {database.Data.Name}");

3. Configure Firewall Rules

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleCollection firewallRules = server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRules();

// Allow specific IP range
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleData ruleData = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleData
{
    StartIPAddress = System.Net.IPAddress.Parse("10.0.0.1"),
    EndIPAddress = System.Net.IPAddress.Parse("10.0.0.255")
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleResource> operation = await firewallRules
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "allow-internal", ruleData);

// Allow Azure services
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleData azureServicesRule = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleData
{
    StartIPAddress = System.Net.IPAddress.Parse("0.0.0.0"),
    EndIPAddress = System.Net.IPAddress.Parse("0.0.0.0")
};

await firewallRules.CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "AllowAllAzureServicesAndResourcesWithinAzureIps", azureServicesRule);

4. Update Server Configuration

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationCollection configurations = server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurations();

// Get current configuration
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationResource config = await configurations
    .GetAsync("max_connections");

// Update configuration
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationData configData = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationData
{
    Value = "500",
    Source = "user-override"
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationResource> operation = await configurations
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "max_connections", configData);

// Common PostgreSQL configurations to tune
string[] commonParams = { 
    "max_connections", 
    "shared_buffers", 
    "work_mem", 
    "maintenance_work_mem",
    "effective_cache_size",
    "log_min_duration_statement"
};

5. Configure Entra ID Administrator

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministratorCollection admins = 
    server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministrators();

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministratorData adminData = 
    new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministratorData
{
    PrincipalType = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerPrincipalType.User,
    PrincipalName = "aad-admin@contoso.com",
    TenantId = Guid.Parse("<tenant-id>")
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministratorResource> operation = await admins
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "<entra-object-id>", adminData);

6. List and Manage Servers

// List servers in resource group
await foreach (PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server in resourceGroup.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServers())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Server: {server.Data.Name}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  FQDN: {server.Data.FullyQualifiedDomainName}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Version: {server.Data.Version}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  State: {server.Data.State}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  SKU: {server.Data.Sku.Name} ({server.Data.Sku.Tier})");
    Console.WriteLine($"  HA: {server.Data.HighAvailability?.Mode}");
}

// List databases in server
await foreach (PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseResource db in server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabases())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Database: {db.Data.Name}");
}

7. Backup and Point-in-Time Restore

// List available backups
await foreach (PostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackupResource backup in server.GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackups())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Backup: {backup.Data.Name}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Type: {backup.Data.BackupType}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Completed: {backup.Data.CompletedOn}");
}

// Point-in-time restore
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData restoreData = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData(AzureLocation.EastUS)
{
    CreateMode = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerCreateMode.PointInTimeRestore,
    SourceServerResourceId = server.Id,
    PointInTimeUtc = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddHours(-2)
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource> operation = await servers
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "my-postgresql-restored", restoreData);

8. Create Read Replica

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData replicaData = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData(AzureLocation.WestUS)
{
    CreateMode = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerCreateMode.Replica,
    SourceServerResourceId = server.Id,
    Sku = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSku("Standard_D2ds_v4", PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSkuTier.GeneralPurpose)
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource> operation = await servers
    .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "my-postgresql-replica", replicaData);

9. Stop and Start Server

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server = await resourceGroup
    .GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerAsync("my-postgresql-server");

// Stop server (saves costs when not in use)
await server.StopAsync(WaitUntil.Completed);

// Start server
await server.StartAsync(WaitUntil.Completed);

// Restart server
await server.RestartAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerRestartParameter
{
    RestartWithFailover = true,
    FailoverMode = PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFailoverMode.PlannedFailover
});

10. Update Server (Scale)

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server = await resourceGroup
    .GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerAsync("my-postgresql-server");

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerPatch patch = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerPatch
{
    Sku = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSku("Standard_D4ds_v4", PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSkuTier.GeneralPurpose),
    Storage = new PostgreSqlFlexibleServerStorage
    {
        StorageSizeInGB = 256,
        Tier = PostgreSqlStorageTierName.P40
    }
};

ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource> operation = await server
    .UpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, patch);

11. Delete Server

PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource server = await resourceGroup
    .GetPostgreSqlFlexibleServerAsync("my-postgresql-server");

await server.DeleteAsync(WaitUntil.Completed);

Key Types Reference

Type	Purpose
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource	Flexible Server instance
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerData	Server configuration data
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerCollection	Collection of servers
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerDatabaseResource	Database within server
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerFirewallRuleResource	IP firewall rule
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerConfigurationResource	Server parameter
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackupResource	Backup metadata
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerActiveDirectoryAdministratorResource	Entra ID admin
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerSku	SKU (compute tier + size)
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerStorage	Storage configuration
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerHighAvailability	HA configuration
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerBackupProperties	Backup settings
PostgreSqlFlexibleServerAuthConfig	Authentication settings

SKU Tiers

Tier	Use Case	SKU Examples
Burstable	Dev/test, light workloads	Standard_B1ms, Standard_B2s
GeneralPurpose	Production workloads	Standard_D2ds_v4, Standard_D4ds_v4
MemoryOptimized	High memory requirements	Standard_E2ds_v4, Standard_E4ds_v4

PostgreSQL Versions

Version	Enum Value
PostgreSQL 11	Ver11
PostgreSQL 12	Ver12
PostgreSQL 13	Ver13
PostgreSQL 14	Ver14
PostgreSQL 15	Ver15
PostgreSQL 16	Ver16

High Availability Modes

Mode	Description
Disabled	No HA (single server)
SameZone	HA within same availability zone
ZoneRedundant	HA across availability zones

Best Practices

1. Use Flexible Server — Single Server is deprecated
2. Enable zone-redundant HA — For production workloads
3. Use DefaultAzureCredential — Prefer over connection strings
4. Configure Entra ID authentication — More secure than SQL auth alone
5. Enable both auth methods — Entra ID + password for flexibility
6. Set appropriate backup retention — 7-35 days based on compliance
7. Use private endpoints — For secure network access
8. Tune server parameters — Based on workload characteristics
9. Use read replicas — For read-heavy workloads
10. Stop dev/test servers — Save costs when not in use

Error Handling

using Azure;

try
{
    ArmOperation<PostgreSqlFlexibleServerResource> operation = await servers
        .CreateOrUpdateAsync(WaitUntil.Completed, "my-postgresql", data);
}
catch (RequestFailedException ex) when (ex.Status == 409)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Server already exists");
}
catch (RequestFailedException ex) when (ex.Status == 400)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Invalid configuration: {ex.Message}");
}
catch (RequestFailedException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Azure error: {ex.Status} - {ex.Message}");
}

Connection String

After creating the server, connect using:

// Npgsql connection string
string connectionString = $"Host={server.Data.FullyQualifiedDomainName};" +
    "Database=myappdb;" +
    "Username=pgadmin;" +
    "Password=YourSecurePassword123!;" +
    "SSL Mode=Require;Trust Server Certificate=true;";

// With Entra ID token (recommended)
var credential = new DefaultAzureCredential();
var token = await credential.GetTokenAsync(
    new TokenRequestContext(new[] { "https://ossrdbms-aad.database.windows.net/.default" }));

string connectionString = $"Host={server.Data.FullyQualifiedDomainName};" +
    "Database=myappdb;" +
    $"Username=aad-admin@contoso.com;" +
    $"Password={token.Token};" +
    "SSL Mode=Require;";

Related SDKs

SDK	Purpose	Install
Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql	PostgreSQL management (this SDK)	dotnet add package Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql
Azure.ResourceManager.MySql	MySQL management	dotnet add package Azure.ResourceManager.MySql
Npgsql	PostgreSQL data access	dotnet add package Npgsql
Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL	EF Core provider	dotnet add package Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL

Reference Links

Resource	URL
NuGet Package	https://www.nuget.org/packages/Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql
API Reference	https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/azure.resourcemanager.postgresql
Product Documentation	https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/postgresql/flexible-server/
GitHub Source	https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-net/tree/main/sdk/postgresql/Azure.ResourceManager.PostgreSql