PostgreSQL Extensions

PostgreSQL extensions add functionality beyond the core database capabilities. Supabase comes pre-configured with over 50 extensions, including popular ones for vector search, full-text search, geospatial data, and more.

What are Extensions?

Extensions are modular packages that add new features to PostgreSQL without modifying the core database engine. They can provide:

New data types (e.g., vectors, geometric types)
New functions (e.g., similarity search, distance calculations)
New operators and index types
Foreign data wrappers for external data sources
Administrative and monitoring tools

Managing Extensions

Enable an Extension

Dashboard
SQL

Go to Database → Extensions in the Dashboard
Find the extension you want to enable
Click the toggle to enable it

-- Enable an extension
create extension if not exists pgvector with schema extensions;

-- Enable with specific schema
create extension if not exists postgis with schema public;

Disable an Extension

-- Disable an extension
drop extension if exists pgvector;

-- Cascade to drop dependent objects
drop extension if exists postgis cascade;

List Installed Extensions

-- View all installed extensions
select
  extname as extension_name,
  extversion as version,
  nspname as schema
from pg_extension
join pg_namespace on pg_extension.extnamespace = pg_namespace.oid
order by extname;

Popular Extensions

pgvector - Vector Embeddings

Store and query vector embeddings for AI/ML applications.

-- Enable the extension
create extension if not exists vector;

-- Create a table with vector column
create table documents (
  id bigint primary key generated always as identity,
  content text,
  embedding vector(1536)  -- OpenAI embeddings are 1536 dimensions
);

-- Create an index for fast similarity search
create index on documents
  using ivfflat (embedding vector_cosine_ops)
  with (lists = 100);

-- Find similar documents
select id, content
from documents
order by embedding <=> '[0.1, 0.2, ...]'::vector
limit 5;

Real Example from Supabase Source

-- Enable vector extension
create extension if not exists vector with schema public;

-- Create page sections table with embeddings
create table page_section (
  id bigserial primary key,
  page_id bigint not null references page on delete cascade,
  content text,
  token_count int,
  embedding vector(1536)
);

-- Similarity search function
create or replace function match_page_sections(
  embedding vector(1536),
  match_threshold float,
  match_count int,
  min_content_length int
)
returns table (path text, content text, similarity float)
language plpgsql
as $$
begin
  return query
  select
    page.path,
    page_section.content,
    (page_section.embedding <#> embedding) * -1 as similarity
  from page_section
  join page on page_section.page_id = page.id
  where length(page_section.content) >= min_content_length
    and (page_section.embedding <#> embedding) * -1 > match_threshold
  order by page_section.embedding <#> embedding
  limit match_count;
end;
$$;

PostGIS - Geospatial Data

Work with geographic and geometric data.

-- Enable PostGIS
create extension if not exists postgis;

-- Create a table with location data
create table locations (
  id bigint primary key,
  name text,
  position geography(Point, 4326)
);

-- Insert a location (longitude, latitude)
insert into locations (name, position)
values (
  'San Francisco',
  ST_GeogFromText('POINT(-122.4194 37.7749)')
);

-- Find locations within 10km radius
select name
from locations
where ST_DWithin(
  position,
  ST_GeogFromText('POINT(-122.4194 37.7749)'),
  10000  -- 10km in meters
);

-- Calculate distance between points
select
  name,
  ST_Distance(
    position,
    ST_GeogFromText('POINT(-122.4194 37.7749)')
  ) / 1000 as distance_km
from locations
order by distance_km;

pg_cron - Scheduled Jobs

Run periodic jobs directly in your database.

-- Enable pg_cron (requires superuser or pre-enabled by Supabase)
select cron.schedule(
  'cleanup-old-data',           -- job name
  '0 2 * * *',                  -- cron expression (2 AM daily)
  $$
  delete from logs
  where created_at < now() - interval '30 days';
  $$
);

-- Schedule hourly aggregation
select cron.schedule(
  'hourly-stats',
  '0 * * * *',  -- Every hour
  $$
  refresh materialized view hourly_statistics;
  $$
);

-- List scheduled jobs
select * from cron.job;

-- Unschedule a job
select cron.unschedule('cleanup-old-data');

pg_net - HTTP Requests

Make HTTP requests from your database.

-- Enable pg_net
create extension if not exists pg_net;

-- Make a simple GET request
select
  net.http_get(
    url := 'https://api.github.com/repos/supabase/supabase',
    headers := '{"User-Agent": "supabase"}'
  ) as response;

-- Make a POST request
select
  net.http_post(
    url := 'https://api.example.com/webhook',
    headers := '{"Content-Type": "application/json"}',
    body := jsonb_build_object(
      'event', 'user.created',
      'user_id', 123
    )
  );

-- Use in a trigger to call webhooks
create or replace function notify_webhook()
returns trigger as $$
begin
  perform net.http_post(
    url := 'https://api.example.com/webhook',
    headers := '{"Content-Type": "application/json"}',
    body := row_to_json(new)
  );
  return new;
end;
$$ language plpgsql;

pgjwt - JSON Web Tokens

Create and verify JWTs in SQL.

-- Enable extension
create extension if not exists pgjwt;

-- Create a JWT
select sign(
  payload := json_build_object(
    'sub', '1234567890',
    'name', 'John Doe',
    'iat', extract(epoch from now())
  ),
  secret := 'your-secret-key',
  algorithm := 'HS256'
);

-- Verify a JWT
select verify(
  token := 'eyJhbGc...',
  secret := 'your-secret-key',
  algorithm := 'HS256'
);

pgcrypto - Encryption

Encrypt sensitive data in your database.

-- Enable extension
create extension if not exists pgcrypto;

-- Generate random values
select gen_random_uuid();  -- Random UUID
select gen_random_bytes(32);  -- Random bytes

-- Hash passwords
select crypt('mypassword', gen_salt('bf'));  -- Bcrypt

-- Verify password
select
  crypt('mypassword', stored_hash) = stored_hash
  as password_matches;

-- Encrypt/decrypt data
select
  pgp_sym_encrypt('sensitive data', 'encryption-key') as encrypted;

select
  pgp_sym_decrypt(encrypted_column, 'encryption-key') as decrypted
from secure_table;

uuid-ossp - UUID Generation

Generate various types of UUIDs.

-- Enable extension
create extension if not exists "uuid-ossp";

-- Generate UUIDs
select uuid_generate_v1();  -- Time-based UUID
select uuid_generate_v4();  -- Random UUID

-- Use in table defaults
create table sessions (
  id uuid primary key default uuid_generate_v4(),
  user_id bigint,
  created_at timestamptz default now()
);

pg_stat_statements - Query Performance

Track and analyze query performance.

-- View most time-consuming queries
select
  query,
  calls,
  total_exec_time,
  mean_exec_time,
  max_exec_time
from pg_stat_statements
order by total_exec_time desc
limit 10;

-- Reset statistics
select pg_stat_statements_reset();

pg_trgm - Fuzzy String Matching

Find similar strings using trigram matching.

-- Enable extension
create extension if not exists pg_trgm;

-- Create index for fast similarity search
create index on products using gin (name gin_trgm_ops);

-- Find similar products
select name, similarity(name, 'iPhone') as sim
from products
where name % 'iPhone'  -- % operator for similarity
order by sim desc
limit 5;

-- Fuzzy search
select *
from users
where username ilike '%john%'
order by similarity(username, 'john') desc;

TimescaleDB - Time-Series Data

Optimize time-series data storage and queries.

-- Enable TimescaleDB
create extension if not exists timescaledb;

-- Create a regular table
create table sensor_data (
  time timestamptz not null,
  sensor_id integer,
  temperature numeric,
  humidity numeric
);

-- Convert to hypertable (time-series optimized)
select create_hypertable('sensor_data', 'time');

-- Insert data
insert into sensor_data (time, sensor_id, temperature, humidity)
values
  (now(), 1, 23.5, 65.2),
  (now(), 2, 22.8, 68.1);

-- Time-based queries are automatically optimized
select
  time_bucket('1 hour', time) as hour,
  sensor_id,
  avg(temperature) as avg_temp
from sensor_data
where time > now() - interval '24 hours'
group by hour, sensor_id
order by hour desc;

Extension Schemas

Most extensions are installed in the extensions schema to keep things organized:

-- Install in extensions schema (recommended)
create extension pgvector with schema extensions;

-- Use fully qualified names
select extensions.vector_dims('[1,2,3]'::extensions.vector);

-- Or set search path
set search_path to public, extensions;
select vector_dims('[1,2,3]'::vector);

The extensions schema is accessible to public by default. For sensitive extensions, create a separate schema with restricted access.

Upgrading Extensions

When new extension versions become available:

-- Check current version
select extversion from pg_extension where extname = 'pgvector';

-- Upgrade extension
alter extension pgvector update to '0.5.0';

-- Upgrade to latest version
alter extension pgvector update;

Custom Extensions

You can install pure SQL extensions directly:

-- Example: Install a custom extension from SQL
create schema if not exists my_extensions;

create or replace function my_extensions.custom_function()
returns text
language sql
as $$
  select 'Hello from custom extension!';
$$;

For more complex extensions, use the database.dev package manager or submit an extension request.

Available Extensions

Supabase provides over 50 pre-installed extensions:

AI & Vector Search

pgvector: Vector similarity search for AI/ML
pg_embedding: Additional vector operations

Full-Text Search

pg_trgm: Fuzzy string matching
rum: Advanced full-text search indexes
pgroonga: Multi-language full-text search

Geospatial

postgis: Geographic objects and functions
postgis_topology: Topology support
postgis_tiger_geocoder: US address geocoding
pgrouting: Geospatial routing

Time-Series

timescaledb: Time-series optimization

HTTP & Webhooks

pg_net: Make HTTP requests
pg_cron: Schedule jobs

Security & Auth

pgjwt: JSON Web Tokens
pgcrypto: Cryptographic functions
uuid-ossp: UUID generation
pgaudit: Audit logging

Data Integration

postgres_fdw: Foreign data wrapper
Wrappers: Connect to external data sources

Performance & Monitoring

pg_stat_statements: Query performance stats
pg_repack: Remove bloat without locking
hypopg: Hypothetical indexes
index_advisor: Index recommendations

Requesting Extensions

If you need an extension that’s not available:

Check the Extensions Discussion
Upvote existing requests or create a new one
Provide use case details to help prioritize

Best Practices

Install extensions in dedicated schemas

Keep extensions organized and avoid namespace pollution.

Only enable extensions you need

Each extension adds overhead. Enable only what you use.

Test extension upgrades

Test in a development environment before upgrading production.

Document extension usage

Keep track of which extensions your project depends on.

Use extension-specific indexes

Many extensions provide specialized index types for better performance.

Next Steps

Tables

Create tables to use with extensions

Functions

Write functions using extension features

Migrations

Manage extensions in your migration files

Full Extension List

Browse all available extensions

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Database

Authentication

Storage

Realtime

Edge Functions

AI & Vectors

PostgreSQL Extensions

What are Extensions?

Managing Extensions

Enable an Extension

Disable an Extension

List Installed Extensions

Popular Extensions

pgvector - Vector Embeddings

Real Example from Supabase Source

PostGIS - Geospatial Data

pg_cron - Scheduled Jobs

pg_net - HTTP Requests

pgjwt - JSON Web Tokens

pgcrypto - Encryption

uuid-ossp - UUID Generation

pg_stat_statements - Query Performance

pg_trgm - Fuzzy String Matching

TimescaleDB - Time-Series Data

Extension Schemas

Upgrading Extensions

Custom Extensions

Available Extensions

Requesting Extensions

Best Practices

Next Steps

Tables

Functions

Migrations

Full Extension List

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Database

Authentication

Storage

Realtime

Edge Functions

AI & Vectors

​What are Extensions?

​Managing Extensions

​Enable an Extension

​Disable an Extension

​List Installed Extensions

​Popular Extensions

​pgvector - Vector Embeddings

​Real Example from Supabase Source

​PostGIS - Geospatial Data

​pg_cron - Scheduled Jobs

​pg_net - HTTP Requests

​pgjwt - JSON Web Tokens

​pgcrypto - Encryption

​uuid-ossp - UUID Generation

​pg_stat_statements - Query Performance

​pg_trgm - Fuzzy String Matching

​TimescaleDB - Time-Series Data

​Extension Schemas

​Upgrading Extensions

​Custom Extensions

​Available Extensions

​Requesting Extensions

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Tables

Functions

Migrations

Full Extension List

What are Extensions?

Managing Extensions

Enable an Extension

Disable an Extension

List Installed Extensions

Popular Extensions

pgvector - Vector Embeddings

Real Example from Supabase Source

PostGIS - Geospatial Data

pg_cron - Scheduled Jobs

pg_net - HTTP Requests

pgjwt - JSON Web Tokens

pgcrypto - Encryption

uuid-ossp - UUID Generation

pg_stat_statements - Query Performance

pg_trgm - Fuzzy String Matching

TimescaleDB - Time-Series Data

Extension Schemas

Upgrading Extensions

Custom Extensions

Available Extensions

Requesting Extensions

Best Practices

Next Steps