Constructive Launches pgpm: Modular Postgres for Large-Scale Application Development

A package manager that brings npm-style modularity, separation of concerns, and composability to PostgreSQL database development

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Constructive, the open-source modular Postgres platform, today announced the general availability of pgpm, a PostgreSQL package manager that introduces Modular Postgres—a new paradigm for building large-scale database applications.

As application teams increasingly want to share and reuse database logic across projects, PostgreSQL extensions have remained the only first-class packaging mechanism. But extensions are often restricted or unavailable on managed services, making it difficult to share application-layer SQL safely and consistently. pgpm addresses this gap by enabling teams to decompose complex databases into focused, composable modules with explicit dependencies, isolated testing, and deterministic deployments.

Breaking Down Monolithic Databases

Modern applications demand sophisticated database architectures: multi-tenant schemas, audit logging, access control, and domain-specific business logic. Traditionally, teams manage this complexity in a single migration chain—thousands of lines of SQL with implicit dependencies, no clear ownership boundaries, and no way to test components in isolation.

pgpm changes this. Teams can separate concerns into distinct modules—such as authentication, auditing, or billing—each with its own schema, migrations, and test suite. Modules declare dependencies explicitly, deploy in correct topological order, and can be developed and tested independently before integration.

"What pgpm is doing isn't extension management—it's application-level modularity for Postgres," said Greg Kemnitz, Co-founder of Wirekite.io, who served as Chief Programmer of the Postgres Project at UC Berkeley and contributed to the original Postgres implementation alongside Michael Stonebraker. "That distinction matters, because it lets developers think about their database the same way they think about their application: as composable, installable building blocks."

Application-Layer Modularity

pgpm operates at the application layer—where developers define schemas, tables, functions, policies, and business logic directly in SQL.

Today, PostgreSQL extensions are the only first-class mechanism for packaging database functionality. While extensions are well-suited for system-level features, they are often restricted or unavailable on managed PostgreSQL services, making them a poor fit for sharing application-layer SQL across environments.

pgpm modules take a different approach. Written in pure SQL, they run with standard database permissions and can be deployed consistently across local development, CI, and managed PostgreSQL environments—without provider approval. When required, the same modules can also be packaged as native PostgreSQL extensions for traditional deployment workflows.

Composability at Scale

"We're defining a new category," said Dan Lynch, Founder and CEO of Constructive. "Modular Postgres gives developers the same composability and reusability at the database layer that modern application developers expect from ecosystems like npm. Build a module once, publish it, and let anyone install and test it with a single command."

For teams building complex systems, this composability compounds. A well-tested audit logging module becomes a foundation for compliance across services. A multi-tenant module with Row-Level Security accelerates SaaS development organization-wide. Instead of copying SQL between projects, teams build on shared, versioned components.

Key Capabilities

• Separation of Concerns — Decompose complex databases into focused modules with clear boundaries and ownership.
• Composable Architecture — Explicit dependencies with automatic, deterministic deployment order.
• Application-Layer Modularity — Reusable schemas, functions, RLS policies, and triggers in pure SQL.
• Idempotent, Reversible Migrations — Deploy, revert, and verify scripts ensure safe, reproducible changes.
• First-Class CI/CD Testing — Test modules in isolation using ephemeral databases and end-to-end workflows, including validation of Row-Level Security policies.
• npm Distribution — Publish and install database modules across projects with a single command.
• Postgres Extension Compatible — Optional dual packaging as native extensions.
• Transactional Safety — All deployments run in transactions with automatic rollback on failure.

Proof Points

These capabilities aren't theoretical. pgpm's modular approach is already in use on complex, real-world systems. The Constructive team packaged the entire Supabase PostgreSQL backend as a set of pgpm modules, enabling local and CI testing against real PostgreSQL infrastructure—including end-to-end testing of Row-Level Security policies—to help harden security and close the gap between development and production.

The same modular architecture integrates cleanly with modern ORMs such as Drizzle, allowing teams to pair type-safe application code with reusable, battle-tested database modules—without introducing abstraction layers between developers and PostgreSQL.

From Zero to Tested, Deployed Modules

Teams can get started with pgpm in minutes. Initialize a workspace, create modules, install dependencies, and deploy to PostgreSQL using a familiar, package-driven workflow. Workspaces provide a structured starting point, grouping related modules under shared configuration to encourage modular design and test-driven workflows from day one. The result is faster iteration, safer changes, and databases that scale with application complexity.

Availability

pgpm is available now via npm.

Learn more at pgpm.io. Documentation, tutorials, and courses are available at constructive.io/learn.

About Constructive

Constructive is an open-source, modular Postgres platform for teams building secure, production-grade applications. It unifies reusable database modules, deterministic migrations, and test-driven tooling into a cohesive architecture designed to make database security predictable and verifiable, with strict Row-Level Security patterns and end-to-end testing that help teams validate permissions, schemas, and behavior before changes reach production—providing strong foundations for modern, AI-assisted development workflows.

SOURCE Constructive