orioledb

Overview

patched kernel; beta16 for patchset 18.1/17.20/16.47

Version

Build

You can build the RPM / DEB packages for orioledb using pig build:

pig build pkg orioledb         # build RPM / DEB packages

Install

You can install orioledb directly. First, make sure the PGDG and PIGSTY repositories are added and enabled:

pig repo add pgsql -u          # Add repo and update cache

Install the extension using pig or apt/yum/dnf:

pig install orioledb;          # Install for current active PG version

pig ext install -y orioledb -v 18  # PG 18
pig ext install -y orioledb -v 17  # PG 17
pig ext install -y orioledb -v 16  # PG 16

dnf install -y orioledb-18       # PG 18
dnf install -y orioledb-17       # PG 17
dnf install -y orioledb-16       # PG 16

apt install -y orioledb-18   # PG 18
apt install -y orioledb-17   # PG 17
apt install -y orioledb-16   # PG 16

Preload:

shared_preload_libraries = 'orioledb';

Create Extension:

CREATE EXTENSION orioledb;

Usage

Sources: README, beta16 release, patched PostgreSQL tree

OrioleDB is a new storage engine for PostgreSQL that provides modern approaches to database capacity, capabilities, and performance. It uses undo log-based MVCC, copy-on-write checkpoints, and row-level WAL to eliminate bloat and the need for VACUUM.

Configuration

Add to postgresql.conf (requires restart):

shared_preload_libraries = 'orioledb.so'

Then enable the extension:

CREATE EXTENSION orioledb;

Creating Tables

Use the USING orioledb clause to create tables with the OrioleDB storage engine:

CREATE TABLE my_table (
    id serial PRIMARY KEY,
    name text,
    value numeric
) USING orioledb;

All standard PostgreSQL operations work on OrioleDB tables:

INSERT INTO my_table (name, value) VALUES ('test', 42);
SELECT * FROM my_table WHERE id = 1;
UPDATE my_table SET value = 100 WHERE id = 1;
DELETE FROM my_table WHERE id = 1;

Collation Requirements

OrioleDB tables support only ICU, C, and POSIX collations. To avoid specifying COLLATE on every text field, create the database with an appropriate default:

CREATE DATABASE mydb LOCALE 'C' TEMPLATE template0;
-- OR
CREATE DATABASE mydb LOCALE_PROVIDER icu ICU_LOCALE 'en' TEMPLATE template0;

Key Benefits

• No bloat: Undo log-based MVCC means old tuple versions do not bloat main storage
• No VACUUM needed: Page-merging and undo log reclaim space automatically
• No wraparound problem: Native 64-bit transaction identifiers
• Lock-less page reading: In-memory pages linked directly to storage pages
• Row-level WAL: Compact write-ahead logging suitable for parallel apply

Limitations

• Public beta status – recommended for testing, not production
• Requires a patched PostgreSQL build from orioledb/postgres
• Only ICU, C, and POSIX collations are supported

Version Notes

OrioleDB 1.8-beta16 bumps the extension SQL version to 1.8, bases patched PostgreSQL builds on 16.13, 17.9, and 18.4, and adds PostgreSQL 18 support. New user-facing surfaces include orioledb.serializable for SERIALIZABLE support and verify_orioledb(regclass, boolean) for pg_amcheck integration. The release also includes recovery, replication, index-scan, vacuum, and DDL correctness fixes.