PoWA
PoWA is a free, self-hosted tool for monitoring and tuning PostgreSQL performance.
What PoWA is
PoWA is a free, self-hosted tool for monitoring and tuning PostgreSQL performance. It gathers and aggregates instance metrics, then displays them in charts. Local mode monitors a single instance; remote mode collects from multiple instances into a repository server and can include read-only standby servers. The project comprises the powa-archivist PostgreSQL extension and powa-web interface, with an optional powa-collector daemon for remote use. It supports statistics extensions such as pg_stat_statements, pg_qualstats, pg_stat_kcache, pg_wait_sampling, and pg_track_settings. pg_stat_statements is required, and the current version is designed for PostgreSQL 9.4 and newer. PoWA works with HypoPG to examine hypothetical indexes without creating them. Version 5 adds views for replication, background writer, checkpointer, SLRU, WAL, and PostgreSQL 16 or newer I/O statistics, plus per-database metric snapshots. Metrics can be enabled or disabled, and custom statistics extensions can be added without modifying PoWA. The interface only displays queries seen in at least two snapshots, which takes at least 10 minutes at the default frequency.
Good
- Free, open project for self-hosting.
- Remote mode can monitor multiple instances.
- Can include read-only standby servers.
- HypoPG support tests hypothetical indexes without creating them.
- Metrics and custom statistics extensions are configurable.
Watch out
- Requires PostgreSQL and pg_stat_statements.
- Can add performance overhead and disk usage.
- Remote-mode saved passwords are stored as plain text.
- Queries appear only after two distinct snapshots.
Who it suits
PoWA suits PostgreSQL operators who can host their own monitoring setup and want charted metrics for one or multiple instances. It requires PostgreSQL and pg_stat_statements.
Verdict
PoWA offers PostgreSQL-specific monitoring with local and multi-instance deployment modes, along with configurable statistics and index analysis. Operators should account for its overhead and remote-mode password warning when planning a deployment.
Plans and prices
From PoWA's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| PoWA | Free | Open project; requires PostgreSQL and pg_stat_statements |
The facts
Each one read from PoWA's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Configuration flexibility
- Metrics can be selected and enabled or disabled, and users can add custom statistics extensions without modifying PoWA.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Core components
- The project includes the powa-archivist PostgreSQL extension, the powa-web interface, and an optional powa-collector daemon for remote mode.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Deployment modes
- PoWA offers local mode for a single instance and remote mode that collects metrics from multiple instances into a repository server.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Index analysis
- PoWA supports HypoPG, which lets users test hypothetical indexes without creating real indexes.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Notable query limit
- The UI only displays queries observed in at least two distinct snapshots, which takes at least 10 minutes with the default snapshot frequency.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Performance impact
- PoWA can add performance overhead and disk usage; the documentation says local mode can have more overhead and remote mode should run few queries against target databases.checked 7 Oct 2026
- PostgreSQL requirement
- The current version is designed for PostgreSQL 9.4 and newer, and pg_stat_statements is mandatory.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- PoWA collects and aggregates performance metrics from PostgreSQL instances and presents them in charts to help monitor and tune servers.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Remote monitoring
- Remote mode can collect metrics from multiple instances, including read-only standby servers, without requiring a PostgreSQL restart to add a monitored instance.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- The documentation says the UI uses prepared statements and recommends HTTPS, SSL for UI-to-PostgreSQL connections, and restricting Internet access to PoWA and PostgreSQL.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security limitation
- In remote mode, the documentation warns that saved remote-server passwords are stored as plain text and recommends using other libpq authentication methods.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The documentation directs users to community IRC and GitHub issue trackers for component-specific support.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Supported metrics
- Supported statistics extensions include pg_stat_statements, pg_qualstats, pg_stat_kcache, pg_wait_sampling, and pg_track_settings.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Version 5 features
- PoWA 5 adds datasource views for replication, background writer, checkpointer, SLRU, WAL, and PostgreSQL 16 or newer I/O statistics, along with per-database metric snapshots.checked 7 Oct 2026
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