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ArrowFEBE — Compatibility

Which PostgreSQL versions, PostgreSQL-compatible services, and client platforms ArrowFEBE is known to work with. Three support states are used across the Arpeio driver family:

StateMeaning
✅ ValidatedExercised directly — live testing and/or the CI test matrix.
🟢 SupportedExpected to work and covered by the same protocol surface, but not run continuously. Report issues and they will be treated as bugs.
🟡 Not yet validatedShould be compatible on protocol grounds, but unverified. No promise yet.

ArrowFEBE speaks the PostgreSQL Frontend/Backend (FEBE) protocol v3 natively over TCP (+ optional TLS). Any server that negotiates FEBE v3 is a candidate; the mapping details are in DATA_TYPES.md.

PostgreSQL (on-premises / IaaS)​

VersionStateNotes
PostgreSQL 17✅ ValidatedIn the CI version matrix.
PostgreSQL 16✅ ValidatedIn the CI version matrix.
PostgreSQL 15✅ ValidatedIn the CI version matrix.
PostgreSQL 12✅ ValidatedIn the CI version matrix; the stated floor.
PostgreSQL 14 / 13🟢 SupportedSame FEBE v3 surface as the matrix versions.
PostgreSQL ≤ 11🟡 Not yet validatedOlder but still FEBE v3 — expected to work for core types; untested and out of support upstream.

The stated floor is PostgreSQL 12+. The CI matrix runs 12 / 15 / 16 / 17 end to end (md5 + cleartext + TLS require/verify-full auth paths, the full validation suite, and the data-type matrix under ASan).

PostgreSQL-compatible services & forks​

These speak the PostgreSQL wire protocol but are not part of the test matrix. They are expected to work for the core surface on protocol grounds only — treat them as unverified until you have run your own workload.

ServiceStateNotes
Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL🟡 Not yet validatedPostgreSQL-compatible; untested.
Amazon Redshift🟡 Not yet validatedPostgreSQL-protocol-compatible, but a different type/feature surface; unverified.
Greenplum🟡 Not yet validatedPostgreSQL-derived MPP; unverified.
CockroachDB🟡 Not yet validatedPostgreSQL wire-compatible, distinct engine; unverified.
YugabyteDB🟡 Not yet validatedPostgreSQL wire-compatible; unverified.

Managed stock-PostgreSQL services (Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, Supabase, Neon, …) run genuine PostgreSQL and fall under the version rows above; require TLS with sslmode=verify-full for those endpoints.

Authentication methods​

MethodPlatformState
SCRAM-SHA-256 (password)all✅ Validated
SCRAM-SHA-256-PLUS (channel binding over TLS)all (TLS)✅ Validated
MD5 passwordall✅ Validated
Cleartext passwordall✅ Validated
Integrated — POSIX Kerberos (GSSAPI/SPNEGO, ccache/keytab/principal+password)Linux/macOS client✅ Validated
Integrated — Windows SSPI (Negotiate → Kerberos/NTLM)Windows client🟢 Supported
GSS transport encryption (gssencmode)POSIX/GSSAPI builds🟢 Supported

See AUTHENTICATION.md and CONNECTION.md for setup.

Client platforms​

PlatformStateNotes
Linux x64✅ ValidatedPrimary build & test target.
Windows x64🟢 SupportedSelf-contained DLL (SSPI integrated auth); the MSVC runtime + OpenSSL DLLs must sit alongside the driver unless static-linked.
macOS🟡 Not yet validatedA macOS build runs in CI; no released binary yet, symbol-hardening deferred.

ADBC conformance​

Run against the upstream adbc-drivers-validation conformance suite: 297 passed / 5 skipped / 25 xfailed / 0 failed. Every xfail is a genuine PostgreSQL limitation, not a driver defect — most notably Arrow nanosecond temporal precision (PostgreSQL stores microseconds) and a few unsupported bind inputs.

See also​