feat: getting started with pgvector

Signed-off-by: Gabriele Bartolini <[email protected]>

Author: gbartolini

content/posts/20250605-pgvector/cover.jpg

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+---
+title: "CNPG Recipe 18 - Getting Started with pgvector on Kubernetes Using CloudNativePG"
+date: 2025-06-05T22:42:04+02:00
+description: "Set up a PostgreSQL cluster with `pgvector` on Kubernetes using CloudNativePG in a fully declarative and streamlined way"
+tags: ["postgresql", "postgres", "kubernetes", "k8s", "cloudnativepg", "cnpg", "postgresql", "postgres", "dok", "data on kubernetes", "pgvector", "database"]
+cover: cover.jpg
+thumb: thumb.jpg
+draft: false
+---
+
+_Learn how to set up a PostgreSQL cluster with the `pgvector` extension on
+Kubernetes using CloudNativePG—all in a fully declarative way. This article
+walks you through the process in just a few minutes, from cluster creation to
+extension installation._
+
+<!--more-->
+
+---
+
+
+[`pgvector`](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector) has quickly become one of the
+most popular PostgreSQL extensions, especially in the context of AI and machine
+learning. It introduces native support for vector data types, which are
+essential for similarity search, embedding storage, and other AI-driven use
+cases.
+
+In this article, I’ll walk you through how to create a PostgreSQL cluster with
+`pgvector` support in Kubernetes using [CloudNativePG](https://cloudnative-pg.io/).
+As always, we’ll take a fully declarative approach—and it’ll only take a few
+minutes.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before you begin, make sure you have a local Kubernetes environment up and
+running using [Kind](https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/) and that you’ve installed the
+latest version of CloudNativePG. If you haven’t yet, follow the steps in
+["CloudNativePG Recipe 1 - Setting up your local playground in minutes"]({{< relref "../20240303-recipe-local-setup/index.md" >}})
+to get everything ready.
+
+## Step 1: Define the PostgreSQL Cluster
+
+Let’s start by creating a simple, single-instance PostgreSQL cluster named
+`pgvector`. You can scale it later depending on your needs.
+
+Create a file named `pgvector.yaml` with the following contents:
+
+```yaml
+{{< include "yaml/pgvector.yaml" >}}
+```
+
+Then apply it with:
+
+```sh
+kubectl apply -f pgvector.yaml
+```
+
+## Step 2: Check Cluster Status
+
+Once the cluster is being created, you can monitor its status with the `cnpg`
+plugin:
+
+```sh
+kubectl cnpg status pgvector
+```
+
+## Step 3: Install the `pgvector` Extension
+
+By default, CloudNativePG creates a database and a user both named `app` for
+applications (see ["CNPG Recipe 2 -  Inspecting Default Resources in a CloudNativePG Cluster"]({{< relref "../20240307-recipe-inspection/index.md" >}})
+for more information).  CloudNativePG also supports a powerful feature: you can
+declaratively [define a `Database` resource](https://cloudnative-pg.io/documentation/current/declarative_database_management/)
+and specify extensions to be installed in it.
+
+Since `pgvector` is already bundled in the default
+[operand container image for PostgreSQL](https://github.com/cloudnative-pg/postgres-containers),
+installing it is straightforward. Create a new file named
+`pgvector-db.yaml` with the following contents:
+
+```yaml
+{{< include "yaml/pgvector-db.yaml" >}}
+```
+
+Apply it with:
+
+```sh
+kubectl apply -f pgvector-db.yaml
+```
+
+You can inspect the new `Database` resource using:
+
+```sh
+kubectl get database pgvector-app
+```
+
+or:
+
+```sh
+kubectl describe database pgvector-app
+```
+
+The controller for the `Database` resource transparently manages `CREATE
+EXTENSION`, as well as related commands like `ALTER EXTENSION` and `DROP
+EXTENSION`, when the resource is modified or deleted.
+
+## Step 4: Verify the Extension
+
+Let’s now connect to the `app` database and confirm that the `vector` extension
+is installed:
+
+```sh
+kubectl cnpg psql pgvector -- app -c '\dx'
+```
+
+You should see output similar to this:
+
+```console
+                            List of installed extensions
+  Name   | Version |   Schema   |                     Description
+---------+---------+------------+------------------------------------------------------
+ plpgsql | 1.0     | pg_catalog | PL/pgSQL procedural language
+ vector  | 0.8.0   | public     | vector data type and ivfflat and hnsw access methods
+(2 rows)
+```
+
+## You're All Set
+
+And there you have it—`pgvector` is installed and ready to use in your `app`
+database, running inside a PostgreSQL cluster managed by CloudNativePG on
+Kubernetes. What you build with it is entirely up to you. If you're just
+getting started and want to experiment, head over to the project’s [“Getting Started” guide](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector?tab=readme-ov-file#getting-started)
+for some practical examples.
+
+This setup offers a solid foundation for experimenting with vector-based AI
+workloads using Postgres in a cloud-native way.
+
+---
+
+Stay tuned for the upcoming recipes! For the latest updates, consider
+subscribing to my [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbartolini/) and
+[Twitter](https://twitter.com/_GBartolini_) channels.
+
+If you found this article informative, feel free to share it within your
+network on social media using the provided links below. Your support is
+immensely appreciated!
+
+_Cover Picture: [“It is Elephants“](https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1604154)._
+

content/posts/20250605-pgvector/index.md

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+apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
+kind: Database
+metadata:
+  name: pgvector-app
+spec:
+  name: app
+  owner: app
+  cluster:
+    name: pgvector
+  extensions:
+  - name: vector

content/posts/20250605-pgvector/thumb.jpg

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+apiVersion: postgresql.cnpg.io/v1
+kind: Cluster
+metadata:
+  name: pgvector
+spec:
+  instances: 1
+
+  storage:
+    size: 1Gi