Understanding Views in PostgreSQL (With Simple Examples)

#postgres #programming

🔍 ****

In the world of databases, sometimes you don’t want to give users access to raw tables — especially when data is sensitive, complex, or when you want to simplify things.

That’s where Views come in handy!

✅ What is a View?

A view in PostgreSQL is a virtual table based on a SQL query. It doesn’t store data itself — it pulls from existing tables whenever it's queried.

Think of it as a saved query that behaves like a real table.

💡 Why Use Views?

Simplify complex queries

Improve security (restrict access to certain columns)

Provide a consistent API for developers

Abstract business logic away from raw tables

🛠️ How to Create a View

Here’s a simple example:

CREATE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT id, name, email
FROM users
WHERE status = 'active';

Now, anytime you want to see active users, just:

SELECT * FROM active_users;

🔄 Updating a View

To change the definition of a view:

CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW active_users AS
SELECT id, name, email, last_login
FROM users
WHERE status = 'active';

🧹 Deleting a View

If you ever want to remove the view:

DROP VIEW active_users;

🧠 Pro Tip

You can join multiple tables in a view too! Like this:

CREATE VIEW order_summary AS
SELECT
o.id AS order_id,
u.name AS customer_name,
o.total_amount,
o.order_date
FROM orders o
JOIN users u ON o.user_id = u.id;

Final Thoughts

Views are a powerful tool for making your PostgreSQL database more secure, organized, and developer-friendly.

Have you used views in your project? What was your use case?

Let’s discuss 👇