--- title: PostgreSQL adapter for Python | daily.dev description: Psycopg2 doesn't yet expose libpq's prepared statement functions directly, but PostgreSQL's PREPARE/EXECUTE SQL commands can be used manually to cache query... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: PostgreSQL adapter for Python | daily.dev og:description: Psycopg2 doesn't yet expose libpq's prepared statement functions directly, but PostgreSQL's PREPARE/EXECUTE SQL commands can be used manually to cache query... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/71v4eKsh6.png og:image:alt: PostgreSQL adapter for Python og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # PostgreSQL adapter for Python **[Psycopg](https://daily.dev/sources/psycopg)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Psycopg2 doesn't yet expose libpq's prepared statement functions directly, but PostgreSQL's PREPARE/EXECUTE SQL commands can be used manually to cache query plans for repeated parametrized queries, saving planning time for complex-but-fast queries. A proposed PreparingCursor subclass wraps this pattern, offering a prepare() method that translates Python-style placeholders to Postgres-style ones, plus executemany() overriding, a prepared attribute, and a deallocate() method. The design isn't finalized and the author invites feedback for a future psycopg2 release. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I use PostgreSQL prepared statements with psycopg2 since it doesn't support them directly? Psycopg2 lacks a direct API for libpq prepared statements, but you can issue the PREPARE and EXECUTE SQL commands manually through cur.execute(). Prepare the plan once with Postgres-style placeholders ($1, $2), then loop calling EXECUTE myplan with your parameters, which avoids replanning the query on every iteration and speeds up execution of fast, complex queries run repeatedly. _daily.dev surfaces practical psycopg2 and PostgreSQL performance techniques like this for developers optimizing query loops._ ### What does a PreparingCursor class for psycopg2 look like? A PreparingCursor is a cursor subclass exposing an explicit prepare() method that accepts a query with Python-style placeholders, converts them to Postgres-style, and issues PREPARE. Subsequent execute() calls can omit the query to run the prepared statement, executemany() always prepares since it assumes repeated execution, and it adds a prepared attribute and a deallocate() method to release the plan. _Developers building custom database cursor logic can find these patterns curated on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [PostgreSQL adapter for Python](https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-7mss4n5wr) · Psycopg · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I made PostgreSQL INSERT operations 36 times faster in Python](https://daily.dev/posts/i-made-postgresql-insert-operations-36-times-faster-in-python-mnsasltcx) · ITNEXT · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [PostgreSQL: Psycopg 3.3 released](https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-psycopg-3-3-released-ewfhnirnz) · PostgreSQL · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#postgresql](https://daily.dev/tags/postgresql) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"PostgreSQL adapter for Python","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6"},"datePublished":"2026-08-23T12:22:16.086Z","dateModified":"2026-08-23T12:49:29.781Z","description":"Psycopg2 doesn't yet expose libpq's prepared statement functions directly, but PostgreSQL's PREPARE/EXECUTE SQL commands can be used manually to cache query...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/b0cbd2ac8948f96ab39fa6a90db7464f?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/b0cbd2ac8948f96ab39fa6a90db7464f?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Psycopg","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Psycopg","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--5N-KNNWk--/f_auto,q_auto/v1787487485/logos/psycopg?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/psycopg"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"python,postgresql","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Psycopg","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/psycopg"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"PostgreSQL adapter for Python"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/postgresql-adapter-for-python-71v4eksh6#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I use PostgreSQL prepared statements with psycopg2 since it doesn't support them directly?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Psycopg2 lacks a direct API for libpq prepared statements, but you can issue the PREPARE and EXECUTE SQL commands manually through cur.execute(). 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