When to use EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE in PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL provides two commands that can be used to analyze a query plan: EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN is used to find the estimated cost of a query. It shows the steps that the PostgreSQL query optimizer plans to take in order to execute the query, and the estimated cost of each step.
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM users;
EXPLAIN ANALYZE
EXPLAIN ANALYZE does the same as EXPLAIN, but it also executes the query and gives the actual results. This is useful if you want to know the actual cost of a query, instead of just an estimate.
EXPLAIN ANALYZE SELECT * FROM users;
Therefore, if you just want to know the estimated cost of a query, use EXPLAIN. If you want to know the actual cost of a query, use EXPLAIN ANALYZE.