Update

Update extensions at two levels: packages in the operating system, and extension objects in the database.

Update Packages

Use package managers to update extension packages:

# EL systems
sudo yum update pgvector_18*

# Debian/Ubuntu systems
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade postgresql-18-pgvector

Use Pigsty to update packages on multiple nodes:

# Update extension packages for specified cluster
./pgsql.yml -l pg-meta -t pg_extension -e '{"pg_extensions":["pgvector"]}'

# Using pig package manager
pig update pgvector

Update Extension Objects

After you update packages, you may also need to update the extension objects in the database.

View Updatable Extensions

-- View installed extensions and their versions
SELECT name, default_version, installed_version
FROM pg_available_extensions
WHERE installed_version IS NOT NULL;

-- View upgradable extensions
SELECT name, installed_version, default_version
FROM pg_available_extensions
WHERE installed_version IS NOT NULL
  AND installed_version <> default_version;

Execute Extension Update

-- Update to latest version
ALTER EXTENSION pgvector UPDATE;

-- Update to specific version
ALTER EXTENSION pgvector UPDATE TO '0.8.0';

View Update Paths

-- View available upgrade paths for extension
SELECT * FROM pg_extension_update_paths('pgvector');

Important Notes

1. Backup first: Back up the database before you update extensions. This is particularly important if the update changes data types.

2. Check compatibility: Some major version upgrades may be incompatible. Read the extension’s upgrade documentation.

3. Preloaded extensions: If you update a preloaded extension, such as timescaledb, you may need to restart the database.

4. Dependencies: If other extensions depend on the updated extension, update them in dependency order.

5. Replication environments: Test updates on replicas first. After you verify the results, update the primary.

Common Issues

Update Failure

If ALTER EXTENSION UPDATE fails, it may be because:

• No available upgrade path
• Extension is in use
• Insufficient permissions

-- View extension dependencies
SELECT * FROM pg_depend WHERE refobjid = (SELECT oid FROM pg_extension WHERE extname = 'pgvector');

Rollback Update

PostgreSQL extensions usually do not support direct rollback. To roll back, use one of these methods:

1. Restore from backup
2. Uninstall the new extension version, install the old package version, and recreate the extension.