Glossary — in plain language

Connection vs Session


In plain English

A connection is the open line between your client and one PostgreSQL backend process. A session is the conversation that happens over that connection — your settings, temp tables, and current transaction. One connection = one session = one backend process.

Why it matters

Because each connection is a full OS process with its own memory, thousands of direct connections are expensive. That is why a connection pooler (PgBouncer) is standard for high-concurrency apps.

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