When to use postvec-server
The default install runs inference inside the PostgreSQL process (embedded mode). postvec-server is the companion process for remote mode (postvec.mode = grpc) and for managed PostgreSQL. The SQL surface, the job queue and the wire contract are the same in both modes; only the host that runs the model changes.
Reasons to run it:
Process isolation. Inference runs in its own process, so a native ONNX fault stops the node and leaves the PostgreSQL launcher running.
Threads on one VM. The embedded engine is one thread inside the database process. postvec-server runs multi-threaded next to PostgreSQL on the same machine, with its own process limits and its own restart cycle.
Throughput and a fleet. Models run on CPU or GPU hosts on the network. Every member of a fleet loads the same set; postvec spreads requests over the node list, and one fleet serves several databases. A GPU node is a source build with the ort-cuda or ort-tensorrt Cargo feature; the published image and packages carry the CPU build.
Remote model management. Pull, activate, load and inspect models from the dashboard or the HTTP API, without shell access to the database host.
Managed PostgreSQL. RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure Flexible Server, Supabase and Neon cannot load postvec.so. postvec-server installs a plain SQL schema, runs the worker and can proxy search(text). Managed PostgreSQL.
Embedded mode remains the simpler choice for a single self-hosted cluster with one local model: it is the default, it runs without a second service, and the bundled MiniLM model works with no configuration.
Next steps
| Situation | Path |
|---|---|
| Try both containers | Quick start remote |
| Install the server | Docker, packages or from source |
| Point an existing cluster at it | Connect PostgreSQL |
| RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure, Supabase, Neon | Managed PostgreSQL |
License
postvec-server is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1). Development, testing, personal production use and one 30-day production evaluation per organization are free. Production use by an organization needs a postvec pro subscription at €30/month, which includes €30 of UniVec API credit and commercial rights to the private catalogue. Hosting the server for third parties needs an enterprise agreement. Each version becomes PostgreSQL-licensed four years after release.
The extension, the CLI and their packages stay under the PostgreSQL License in either inference mode. License.