Programming inside the database server is not always the first thing that comes to mind to many developers, but its unique placement inside the application stack gives it some powerful advantages. Your application can be faster, more secure, and more maintainable by pushing logic into the database. With server-side programming in PostgreSQL, you can secure your data using functions, audit access to your data and structural changes using triggers, and improve productivity by achieving code reuse. Also, you can enrich your data using custom data types, analyze your data using custom operators, and extend the capabilities of the database by dynamically loading new functions.

This is just the start of what you can do inside PostgreSQL. Throughout the rest of this book, you will learn many other ways to write powerful applications by programming inside PostgreSQL.