How to Enable pgvector on AWS RDS and Aurora PostgreSQL

How to fix it

// try these in order, the most common fix is first

1. FIX 1Enable

   Copy steps
   1. 01Connect as rds_superuser
   2. 02Run CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS vector;
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. FIX 2Update

   Copy steps
   1. 01Run ALTER EXTENSION vector UPDATE; after the engine supports a newer version
   2. 02Check pg_available_extensions for versions
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. FIX 3Tune

   1. 01Set hnsw.ef_search and maintenance_work_mem in a parameter group or per session
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Vector type missing on an RDS or Aurora PostgreSQL instance.

Why it happens

• C-01Engine version too old
• C-02Not connected as privileged user

// this guide also covers

• enable pgvector rds
• aurora postgres pgvector
• rds create extension vector

Other pgvector errors

• pgvector Error: extension "vector" is not available
• pgvector HNSW Index Build Slow
• pgvector "operator does not exist: vector <=>" Error
• pgvector Dimension Limit: Cannot Index More Than 2000 Dimensions
• pgvector "different vector dimensions" Error
• pgvector Query Returns Fewer Results Than LIMIT With Filter
• pgvector Index Not Being Used
• pgvector HNSW Build Out of Memory or Shared Memory Error