Install packages

Packages for an existing PostgreSQL 16, 17 or 18 host with pgvector >= 0.8. Superuser and a restart are required. Then run postvec setup.

RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure, Supabase and Neon use managed PostgreSQL.

Use apt / dnf so PostgreSQL, pgvector and ELF dependencies resolve. The filename tag (+deb12, +ubuntu22.04, +ubuntu24.04, .el9) is the target OS. Debian examples use +deb12; Ubuntu files use +ubuntu22.04 or +ubuntu24.04 (the rest of the command is identical).

Filenames: downloads. Checksums and attestations: verify artifacts.

Modes

Mode	Where inference runs	Packages on the database host
Embedded (default)	Inside PostgreSQL	Extension, CLI, ONNX Runtime, MiniLM
Remote (grpc)	postvec-server on this host or another	Extension and CLI only
Managed PostgreSQL	postvec-server, including the worker	None; see managed

Use postvec-server for process isolation, a GPU or fleet, or a managed cloud database. When to use it. SQL is unchanged.

1. Prerequisites (PGDG)

Each release includes postvec-prerequisites.sh. It configures the PGDG repository and its trust root, then confirms that the chosen PostgreSQL major and pgvector resolve.

sudo bash ./postvec-prerequisites.sh --pg 18

--pg is required (16, 17 or 18). --print / --dry-run shows the commands. --yes skips the prompt.

The script is idempotent. On EL9 it also enables CodeReady Builder and EPEL and disables the distribution's postgresql module, which would otherwise shadow the PGDG packages. On CentOS Stream 9 or subscribed RHEL 9 it prints the commands and requires --force-untested.

2. Local (embedded mode)

Extension, CLI, ONNX Runtime and the bundled MiniLM model.

sudo apt install \
  ./postvec-cli_0.5.0-2+deb12_amd64.deb \
  ./postgresql-18-postvec_0.5.0-2+deb12_amd64.deb \
  ./postvec-onnxruntime_*.deb \
  ./postvec-model-minilm-l6-v2_*.deb \
  ./postvec-extras_*.deb

Default installation directory is /opt/postvec. MiniLM is 384-d. Embedded mode starts with postvec setup --embedded.

3. Extension + CLI only (remote mode)

This payload is for remote mode. postvec-server performs inference on this host or on another machine.

sudo apt install \
  ./postvec-cli_0.5.0-2+deb12_amd64.deb \
  ./postgresql-18-postvec_0.5.0-2+deb12_amd64.deb

Then install postvec-server from the same release (next section) and connect PostgreSQL.

4. postvec-server

Install postvec-server from the same release: the postvec-server package plus the runtime and model packages, on hosts that need no PostgreSQL. Packages has the copy-paste commands, TLS and the systemd unit.

postvec-server is Business Source License 1.1. Personal production use, non-production environments and a 30-day production evaluation per organization are free. Production use by an organization needs postvec pro. License.

Last step is configuring the cluster.