PostgreSQL config file for high performance writes on Joyent Cloud, used by Wanelo.com in production (4K commits/second on a dedicated 80GB instance).

gistfile1.sh

max_connections = 1500                  # (change requires restart)
shared_buffers = 12000MB                # min 128kB, based on 80GB RAM DB 
temp_buffers = 8MB                      # min 800kB
work_mem = 64MB                         # min 64kB
maintenance_work_mem = 512MB            # min 1MB

wal_level = hot_standby                 # minimal, archive, or hot_standby
checkpoint_segments = 64                # in logfile segments, min 1, 16MB each
checkpoint_completion_target = 0.9      # checkpoint target duration, 0.0 - 1.0
max_wal_senders = 6                     # max number of walsender processes
wal_keep_segments = 2000                # in logfile segments, 16MB each; 0 disables
hot_standby = 'on'                      # "on" allows queries during recovery
hot_standby_feedback = 'on'             # we may want to experiment with it being 'off'
max_standby_streaming_delay = 30s       # max delay before canceling queries

random_page_cost = 2.0                  # same scale as above
effective_cache_size = 65824MB          # based on 80GB RAM DB

# Logging
log_destination = 'syslog'              # Valid values are combinations of
log_min_duration_statement = 80         # -1 is disabled, 0 logs all statements
log_line_prefix = ''
log_temp_files = 0                      # log temporary files equal or larger
log_checkpoints = on                    # log checkpoints
log_timezone = 'PST8PDT'

# use stat_statements, and log stats into /tmp (RAM on SmartOS)
# note that startup script must re-recreate /tmp/pg_stats_temp_directory upon server restart
shared_preload_libraries = '$libdir/pg_stat_statements'  # (change requires restart)
stats_temp_directory = '/tmp/pg_stats_temp_directory'    # log stats on RAM (/tmp) instead of hard disk

autovacuum_max_workers = 3              # max number of autovacuum subprocesses
autovacuum_vacuum_scale_factor = 0.2    # fraction of table size before vacuum
autovacuum_analyze_scale_factor = 0.1   # fraction of table size before analyze
autovacuum_freeze_max_age = 1000000000  # maximum XID age before forced vacuum
vacuum_freeze_min_age = 5000000
vacuum_freeze_table_age = 500000000

timezone = 'PST8PDT'
lc_messages = 'C'                       # locale for system error message
lc_monetary = 'en_US.UTF-8'             # locale for monetary formatting
lc_numeric = 'en_US.UTF-8'              # locale for number formatting
lc_time = 'en_US.UTF-8'                 # locale for time formatting
default_text_search_config = 'pg_catalog.english'

# these are settings for high-throughput write load
wal_buffers = 32MB
synchronous_commit = off
wall_writer_delay = 200ms
commit_delay = 100  # microseconds
commit_siblings = 5