## What is pgFirstAid?

A single SQL function and view that gives you a prioritized list of actions to improve your PostgreSQL database's stability and performance.

Inspired by [Brent Ozar's FirstResponderKit](https://github.com/BrentOzarULTD/SQL-Server-First-Responder-Kit) for SQL Server, but built for Postgres, by people who run Postgres in production.

## Features

- **Zero Dependencies** - Single SQL file, no external tools required
- **Detailed Checks** - Built-in health checks covering critical performance and stability issues
- **Prioritized Results** - Issues ranked by severity (CRITICAL → HIGH → MEDIUM → LOW → INFO)
- **Actionable Recommendations** - Each issue includes specific remediation steps
- **Documentation Links** - Direct links to official PostgreSQL documentation for deeper learning
- **Optional `pg_stat_statements` Checks** - Runs additional query workload checks when that extension is installed

## Install

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/randoneering/pgFirstAid/main/pgFirstAid.sql | psql -d YOUR_DB
```

Then run it (the function is the primary interface; a view is also available):

```sql
--- function
SELECT * FROM pg_firstAid();

--- view
SELECT * FROM v_pgfirstAid;
```

### Filter by Severity

```sql
-- Show only critical issues
SELECT * FROM pg_firstAid() WHERE severity = 'CRITICAL';

SELECT * FROM v_pgfirstAid WHERE severity = 'MEDIUM';

-- Show critical and high priority issues
SELECT * FROM pg_firstAid() WHERE severity IN ('CRITICAL', 'HIGH');

SELECT * FROM v_pgfirstAid WHERE severity IN ('CRITICAL', 'HIGH');
```

### Filter by Category

Categories: `Table Health`, `Query Health`, `Replication Health`, `System Health`, `Database Health`

```sql
-- Check table health
SELECT * FROM v_pgfirstAid WHERE category = 'Table Health';
```

### Count Issues by Severity

```sql
SELECT severity, COUNT(*) as issue_count
FROM pg_firstAid()
GROUP BY severity
ORDER BY MIN(CASE severity
    WHEN 'CRITICAL' THEN 1
    WHEN 'HIGH' THEN 2
    WHEN 'MEDIUM' THEN 3
    WHEN 'LOW' THEN 4
    ELSE 5 END);
```

## Compatibility

- **PostgreSQL 15–18** - Primary supported versions, active automated testing
- **PostgreSQL 10+** - Supported
- **PostgreSQL 9.x** - Most features work (minor syntax adjustments may be needed)
- Managed databases: Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Google Cloud SQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and self-hosted PostgreSQL

## Sponsors

pgFirstAid is supported by DigitalOcean, Neon, and the OSU Open Source Lab. Their sponsorship covers testing infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines that keep pgFirstAid reliable.

## Inspired by

[FirstResponderKit](https://github.com/BrentOzarULTD/SQL-Server-First-Responder-Kit) - Brent Ozar's pioneering health-check suite for SQL Server.