Section 13
When to Use Each System
Pick the right deployment for your scenario.
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| Single user, small data | DuckDB |
| Small team, app integration | Postgres |
| Growing org, compliance needs | AWS |
| Large analytics workloads | Snowflake |
- DuckDB: no infrastructure, local execution
- Postgres: transactional + API support
- AWS: scalable, managed services
- Snowflake: optimized for analytics
Decision framework
| Factor | DuckDB | Postgres | AWS | Snowflake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Size | < 200GB | < 1TB | 1TB+ | 1TB+ |
| Users | 1 | 1–5 | 5–20 | 20+ |
| Cost | Free | Low | Medium | High |
| Setup Complexity | Very Low | Low | Medium | High |
| Use Case | Local analysis | App + analytics | Scalable systems | Large analytics |
DuckDB
- Single machine
- No infrastructure
- Best for local analytics
Postgres
- Supports applications + analytics
- Good for small teams
- Requires basic setup
AWS
- Scalable infrastructure
- Managed services
- Suitable for growing organizations
Snowflake
- Designed for analytics
- High scalability
- Higher cost