How Figma scaled PostgreSQL to millions of users

Figma began with a refreshingly simple foundation: a single, monolithic PostgreSQL database in an industry that often defaults to microservices and distributed systems for scale. This allowed the team to iterate quickly, simplify the process, and focus on delivering a world-class collaborative design experience.

As usage grew into the millions, so did the architectural demands. Rather than adding complexity prematurely, Figma scaled with precision. First, they vertically optimized their monolith. Later, they introduced Postgres-based sharding. Their journey offers a blueprint for pragmatic, long-term scalability while keeping things simple.

A system powers every smooth cursor movement in a shared Figma file under constant pressure to sync edits in real time, protect data integrity, and ensure instant responsiveness. Most engineering teams in this position reach for distributed databases or microservices rewrites. Figma didn’t—they scaled with discipline, pushing existing tools to the limit before introducing complexity.

This newsletter breaks down the disciplined journey step by step.