Tracing PostgreSQL Using eBPF and Hardware Breakpoints

227 · Jan Nidzwetzki · May 8, 2026, 9:49 p.m.
Summary
This post explores the innovative use of hardware breakpoints in combination with eBPF programs to efficiently monitor PostgreSQL's internal variable updates. It provides valuable insights into how these techniques reduce overhead, compare with uprobes, and help answer performance-related questions about transactions and OID consumption in PostgreSQL.