The first PostgreSQL crash I handled felt unusually quiet. I was prepared to mount the database, check the required logs and start a recovery procedure. Instead, PostgreSQL detected the unclean shutdown, replayed WAL and opened the database without any DBA command.
That automatic restart can make crash recovery appear simpler than it really is. Recovery time still depends on checkpoint activity, WAL volume, storage performance and the availability of required WAL files. A database that normally starts in seconds can behave very differently after a write-heavy workload or storage incident.