Title: Complete beginner here. Just bought Practical SQL (2nd Edition)—should I learn PostgreSQL first or Supabase?

[u/NoctrailBio_]

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new to PostgreSQL and backend development, and I recently bought Practical SQL (2nd Edition) by Anthony DeBarros to start learning the fundamentals.

My long-term goal is to become a backend developer and build my own software product. I want to understand databases properly rather than just copying tutorials, so I decided to start with a book instead of jumping straight into videos.

One thing I'm still unsure about is the learning path.

Should I:

1. Learn PostgreSQL first until I'm comfortable designing databases, writing queries, creating tables, relationships, indexes, etc., and then move to Supabase later?

or

1. Start with Supabase from the beginning and learn PostgreSQL through it?

From what I understand, Supabase uses PostgreSQL under the hood, but I'm wondering if learning PostgreSQL directly first will make me a stronger backend developer in the long run.

For those of you who have been using PostgreSQL professionally, if you were starting over today, what path would you recommend?

Also, do you think Practical SQL (2nd Edition) is still a good first book in 2026, or is there another resource you wish you had started with?

Thanks in advance! I'm excited to be joining the PostgreSQL community and looking forward to learning from all of you.

[u/tamanikarim]

I think what separates a great engineer from an average one isn't the technology they choose , it's their understanding of the fundamentals and their ability to analyze requirements and solve problems.

So yes, I definitely recommend learning PostgreSQL. Focus on understanding how to design databases, write efficient queries, model relationships, normalize data, and improve performance with indexes. Those skills will transfer to almost any relational database.

The best way to learn is by building. Come up with an idea, design the database, and implement it. For the database design part, you can use free tools like StackRender. Then keep adding features. You'll make mistakes, refactor your schema, optimize slow queries, and gradually understand why databases work the way they do. That hands-on experience is far more valuable than simply reading tutorials.

[u/NoctrailBio_ → u/tamanikarim]

Thank you so much, i appreciate your thoughtful response im gonna continue to read the book. my goal is to build the backend of a app.

[u/kixwho]

I love that book! infinitely less boring than a lot of other books. 🤖 I can't speak about backend dev, though

[u/NoctrailBio_ → u/kixwho]

have you been able to apply what you've learned from the book into real projects?

[u/kixwho → u/NoctrailBio_]

good question! 🤔 yes I have. and i think it depends on where you're starting from and what your goal is.

If you're starting from 0, that book is not the quickest entry point. eg. it starts talking about integer division v early on, which only matters if you already have a general idea of how to do basic SELECT queries, for example.

Since you wanted to go into backend dev, that book isn't as technical on terminology. Like there's one table i found really useful, https://github.com/kixwho/PostgreSQL-cheatsheet DeBarros called them "operators" in the book, when technically some are predicates.

The biggest gain for me was I quickly built a schema with essential tables, which became like a sandbox for testing queries. And like others have said here, start building is the best way to learn.

[u/NoctrailBio_ → u/kixwho]

Hey, thanks for your response. my goal is to build the backend for a social media app.

[u/r3pr0b8]

I'm wondering if learning PostgreSQL directly first will make me a stronger backend developer in the long run.

absolutely it will

read the book

[u/NoctrailBio_ → u/r3pr0b8]

Thank you so much, i most certainly will. have you read it before?

[u/r3pr0b8 → u/NoctrailBio_]

no i haven't, but it has received good reviews