Hitchhiker's Guide to Row-Level Security in Citus | POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025

Video of a conference talk about Row-Level Security in Citus. In the vast and often perplexing universe of databases, securing your data can feel like navigating through the Vogon bureaucracy. Fear not, intrepid data traveler! Join us for a journey through the cosmos of Row-Level Security (RLS) in Citus, where we'll demystify the complexities and pitfalls of implementing RLS in a distributed PostgreSQL environment. With the reassuring words "Don't Panic" as our guide, we'll explore the ins and outs of RLS, from the basics to advanced configurations. You'll learn how to enable RLS on your tables, create and manage policies, and apply these principles in a multi-tenant setup with Citus. Along the way, we'll encounter some of the common challenges and how to avoid them, ensuring your data remains secure and your sanity intact. Expect a blend of technical insights, practical demonstrations, and a touch of humor as we navigate this interstellar topic. Whether you're a seasoned database administrator or a curious developer, this talk will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to implement RLS in Citus effectively. So grab your towel, set your phasers to "secure," and join us for an adventure through the galaxy of data security. After all, in the grand scheme of things, the answer might be simpler than you think. Adam Wolk is an OpenBSD developer interested in database engineering, distributed systems, information security and networking. Over a decade of experience with large and complex systems ranging from the corporate financial sector to the start-up landscape. Adam is an experienced team leader who has developed systems from the ground up from C on ARM devices, through back-end systems in Go, Python and Rails to web front ends in modern JavaScript frameworks - all continuously integrated, deployed and monitored. Currently pushing at the edge of distributed SQL as a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft for Azure Database for PostgreSQL. ► Video book