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Diagnose a Slow PostgreSQL Query With EXPLAIN and Locks

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Self-Hosting & Infra intermediate 9 min read $0.01 Updated 2026-10-18

A procedure for slow PostgreSQL queries: find them with pg_stat_statements, read EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS), spot bad estimates and sequential scans, check locks and idle transactions, refresh statistics, and add indexes safely.

A query that was fast last month is slow now. Read the plan, compare estimated rows with actual rows, rule out locks and stale statistics, and add an index without locking production.

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#postgresql#explain#slow-query#indexes#locks

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