pgclone v4.0.0: Native SQL-Based Database Cloning and Data Masking

Baku, Azerbaijan — April 22, 2026

I am pleased to announce the release of pgclone version 4.0.0, a PostgreSQL extension that clones databases, schemas, and objects directly via SQL. It features built-in data masking, parallel background workers, and full DDL support — with no dependency on pg_dump, pg_restore, or external shell scripts. pgclone is released as open source under the PostgreSQL Licence.

Description

pgclone provides a seamless way to clone PostgreSQL objects across instances using nothing but SQL commands. By leveraging the PostgreSQL COPY protocol and custom Background Workers (BGW), it offers a high-performance, integrated alternative to traditional dump/restore workflows.

Key Capabilities

• Native SQL Interface: Clone databases, schemas, and tables without leaving psql or managing shell scripts.
• Integrated Data Masking: Anonymize sensitive data (emails, names, phone numbers, hashes) during the cloning process using built-in masking functions.
• Auto-Discovery: Automatically scan source schemas to identify sensitive columns and receive suggested masking rules.
• High Performance: Parallel background workers handle concurrent table cloning, with real-time progress tracking via pgclone.jobs_view.
• Full DDL Support: Preserves indexes, constraints (PK, UNIQUE, CHECK, FK, EXCLUDE), triggers, views, and sequences.
• Flexible Conflict Resolution: Choose between error, skip, replace, or rename strategies when objects already exist.
• Cross-Version Compatibility: Tested on PostgreSQL 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
• Open Source: Distributed under the PostgreSQL Licence — the same permissive licence used by PostgreSQL itself.

Links & Resources

We welcome contributions and feedback from the community to help make pgclone even better.

• GitHub: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone
• Release v4.0.0: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone/releases/tag/v4.0.0
• PGXN: https://pgxn.org/dist/pgclone/4.0.0/
• Usage Guide: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone/blob/main/docs/USAGE.md
• Async Operations: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone/blob/main/docs/ASYNC.md
• Architecture: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone/blob/main/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
• Manual Testing: https://github.com/valehdba/pgclone/blob/main/docs/TESTING_MANUAL.md