How to Achieve HIPAA Compliance with ParadeDB in PostgreSQL

How do I make ParadeDB HIPAA compliant on PostgreSQL?

Use PostgreSQL security features—encryption, row-level security, auditing, and backups—to run ParadeDB in a HIPAA-compliant manner.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What makes ParadeDB HIPAA-ready?

ParadeDB is a PostgreSQL extension, so every HIPAA safeguard you apply to the core database—encryption, access controls, auditing, and backups—also covers vector indexes. No extra binaries or processes are introduced, simplifying compliance audits.

How do I encrypt Protected Health Information?

Encrypt PHI at the column and storage levels. Use pgcrypto for field-level encryption and put sensitive tables in an encrypted tablespace. Keep keys outside PostgreSQL to satisfy HIPAA key-management rules.

CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pgcrypto; CREATE TABLESPACE hipaa_encrypted LOCATION '/data/hipaa' WITH (encrypted=true); CREATE TABLE Customers ( id serial PRIMARY KEY, name text, email bytea, -- encrypted created_at timestamptz DEFAULT now() ) TABLESPACE hipaa_encrypted;

How can I enforce row-level security (RLS)?

RLS prevents a user from accessing another patient’s data. Tie each row to a customer_id and activate policies that reference a session variable.

ALTER TABLE Customers ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY; CREATE POLICY customer_isolation ON Customers USING (id = current_setting('app.customer_id')::int);

How do I audit access to PHI?

Create an audit table and trigger to log SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE on PHI tables. Log the user, timestamp, action, and row identifier. Forward logs to an immutable store for 6 years, meeting HIPAA §164.316(b)(2).

CREATE TABLE audit_log ( id bigserial PRIMARY KEY, user_name text, action text, table_name text, row_id bigint, audit_time timestamptz DEFAULT now() );

How do I back up and restore HIPAA-sensitive data?

Use pg_basebackup or pg_dump on an encrypted channel (TLS 1.2+). Store the backup in a versioned, access-controlled bucket with server-side encryption (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS). Test restores quarterly.

What are best practices for HIPAA compliance in ParadeDB?

Rotate keys yearly, patch PostgreSQL promptly, restrict superuser access, use SSL for clients, and monitor vectors for sensitive content to avoid embedding PHI in plaintext.

Why How to Achieve HIPAA Compliance with ParadeDB in PostgreSQL is important

How to Achieve HIPAA Compliance with ParadeDB in PostgreSQL Example Usage


-- Return a customer’s last 5 orders, decrypting email on the fly
SET app.customer_id = 42;                 -- supplied by application
SET app.enc_key = 'my-kms-key-v1';        -- loaded from KMS

SELECT c.id,
       pgp_sym_decrypt(c.email, current_setting('app.enc_key')) AS email,
       o.id   AS order_id,
       o.order_date,
       o.total_amount
FROM   Customers   c
JOIN   Orders      o ON o.customer_id = c.id
WHERE  c.id = current_setting('app.customer_id')::int
ORDER  BY o.order_date DESC
LIMIT  5;

How to Achieve HIPAA Compliance with ParadeDB in PostgreSQL Syntax


-- Enable cryptography support
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pgcrypto;

-- Create encrypted tablespace for all PHI tables
CREATE TABLESPACE hipaa_encrypted LOCATION '/data/hipaa' WITH (encrypted=true);

-- Customers table with encrypted email column
aaaCREATE TABLE Customers (
  id serial PRIMARY KEY,
  name text NOT NULL,
  email bytea NOT NULL,
  created_at timestamptz DEFAULT now()
) TABLESPACE hipaa_encrypted;

-- Orders table referencing Customers
CREATE TABLE Orders (
  id serial PRIMARY KEY,
  customer_id int REFERENCES Customers(id),
  order_date date,
  total_amount numeric(10,2)
);

-- Encrypt email on insert
INSERT INTO Customers (name, email)
VALUES ('Alice', pgp_sym_encrypt('alice@example.com', current_setting('app.enc_key')));

-- Decrypt on select
SELECT name,
       pgp_sym_decrypt(email, current_setting('app.enc_key')) AS email
FROM   Customers
WHERE  id = current_setting('app.customer_id')::int;

-- Enable Row-Level Security and policy
ALTER TABLE Customers ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
CREATE POLICY customer_isolation ON Customers
  USING (id = current_setting('app.customer_id')::int);

Common Mistakes

Ignoring standard PostgreSQL security because ParadeDB "handles it." ParadeDB only adds vector search; you must still enable encryption, RLS, and auditing. Fix: apply HIPAA safeguards at the database level.
Storing encryption keys inside the database for convenience. This violates HIPAA key-management rules. Fix: keep keys in an external KMS and pass them via <code>SET</code> or environment variables.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is ParadeDB itself certified for HIPAA?

No. HIPAA certifies processes, not software. ParadeDB inherits PostgreSQL’s controls, but compliance depends on your configuration and administrative safeguards.