Case Study: Plexigrid replaced InfluxDB and got 350× faster queries with TimescaleDB
Key results
The challenge
Plexigrid builds grid-management software for low-voltage electrical networks and needed real-time visibility into distribution grids. Its architecture spanned four separate databases (InfluxDB, TigerGraph, MySQL and PostgreSQL), creating operational complexity. InfluxDB introduced ingestion bottlenecks at scale with unpredictable resource use and storage limits.
The solution
Plexigrid consolidated the four-database architecture into a single PostgreSQL system using the TimescaleDB extension, adopting its hybrid row/columnar store for time-series analytical workloads.
“Using a unified PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB architecture reduced maintenance overhead and gave us consistent deployment options.”
EREnrique RiesgoChief Software Engineer, Plexigrid
The results, in context
After migrating, Plexigrid reported a 350× speedup in query performance, with a representative analytical query dropping from about 5 minutes to 0.5 seconds. Storage fell 95% (350 GB to 3 GB) via columnar compression, ingest was 44% faster, and bulk-import memory use dropped from roughly 8 GB on InfluxDB to about 300 MB on TimescaleDB.