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+Using Postgres
+--------------
+
+Set up database
+===============
+
+The PostgreSQL database used *must* have the correct encoding set, otherwise
+would not be able to store UTF8 strings. To create a database with the correct
+encoding use, e.g.::
+
+ CREATE DATABASE synapse
+  ENCODING 'UTF8'
+  LC_COLLATE='C'
+  LC_CTYPE='C'
+  template=template0
+  OWNER synapse_user;
+
+This would create an appropriate database named ``synapse`` owned by the
+``synapse_user`` user (which must already exist).
+
+Set up client
+=============
+
+Postgres support depends on the postgres python connector ``psycopg2``. In the
+virtual env::
+
+    sudo apt-get install libpq-dev
+    pip install psycopg2
+
+
+Synapse config
+==============
+
+When you are ready to start using PostgreSQL, add the following line to your
+config file::
+
+    database_config: <db_config_file>
+
+Where ``<db_config_file>`` is the file name that points to a yaml file of the
+following form::
+
+    name: psycopg2
+    args:
+        user: <user>
+        password: <pass>
+        database: <db>
+        host: <host>
+        cp_min: 5
+        cp_max: 10
+
+All key, values in ``args`` are passed to the ``psycopg2.connect(..)``
+function, except keys beginning with ``cp_``, which are consumed by the twisted
+adbapi connection pool.
+
+
+Porting from SQLite
+===================
+
+Overview
+~~~~~~~~
+
+The script ``port_from_sqlite_to_postgres.py`` allows porting an existing
+synapse server backed by SQLite to using PostgreSQL. This is done in as a two
+phase process:
+
+1. Copy the existing SQLite database to a separate location (while the server
+   is down) and running the port script against that offline database.
+2. Shut down the server. Rerun the port script to port any data that has come
+   in since taking the first snapshot. Restart server against the PostgreSQL
+   database.
+
+The port script is designed to be run repeatedly against newer snapshots of the
+SQLite database file. This makes it safe to repeat step 1 if there was a delay
+between taking the previous snapshot and being ready to do step 2.
+
+It is safe to at any time kill the port script and restart it.
+
+Using the port script
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Firstly, shut down the currently running synapse server and copy its database
+file (typically ``homeserver.db``) to another location. Once the copy is
+complete, restart synapse.  For instance::
+
+    ./synctl stop
+    cp homeserver.db homeserver.db.snapshot
+    ./synctl start
+
+Assuming your database config file (as described in the section *Synapse
+config*) is named ``database_config.yaml`` and the SQLite snapshot is at
+``homeserver.db.snapshot`` then simply run::
+
+    python scripts/port_from_sqlite_to_postgres.py \
+        --sqlite-database homeserver.db.snapshot \
+        --postgres-config database_config.yaml
+
+The flag ``--curses`` displays a coloured curses progress UI.
+
+If the script took a long time to complete, or time has otherwise passed since
+the original snapshot was taken, repeat the previous steps with a newer
+snapshot.
+
+To complete the conversion shut down the synapse server and run the port
+script one last time, e.g. if the SQLite database is at  ``homeserver.db``
+run::
+
+    python scripts/port_from_sqlite_to_postgres.py \
+        --sqlite-database homeserver.db \
+        --postgres-config database_config.yaml
+
+Once that has completed, change the synapse config to point at the PostgreSQL
+database configuration file using the ``database_config`` parameter (see
+`Synapse Config`_) and restart synapse. Synapse should now be running against
+PostgreSQL.