The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has announced that PostgreSQL 19 RC 1 is now available for download. As a release candidate, it is expected to be mostly identical to the initial release of PostgreSQL 19, though additional fixes may still land before general availability.
A notable scheduling detail explains the timing. The next update release for supported PostgreSQL versions is set for November 12, 2026 and will bundle a large number of fixes. Rather than shipping those fixes only to older branches, the release team decided to fold them into PostgreSQL 19 prior to GA. As a result, a second release candidate, PostgreSQL 19 RC 2, is planned for the same day as that update release.
Concrete points from the announcement:
- RC 1 is available now for download and testing.
- PostgreSQL 19 RC 2 is scheduled for November 12, 2026, alongside the next update release for supported versions.
- General availability of PostgreSQL 19 is planned for November 19, 2026.
- Upgrading from earlier major versions requires a major version upgrade strategy, such as
pg_upgradeorpg_dump/pg_restore. - Upgrade documentation is available at the project's upgrading page for version 19.
For developers, RC 1 is the practical window to validate application compatibility before GA. Because RC 1 is close to final, testing on staging with pg_upgrade or a logical dump and restore flow surfaces migration issues while there is still time to report them. Teams running extensions, ORMs or connection poolers should confirm behavior now rather than after the November GA date. Any regression found in RC 1 can still be addressed in RC 2 or before general availability.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/postgresql-19-rc-1-released-3409/