Install ParadeDB on Windows, register the DLL, enable the extension in PostgreSQL, and start running vector-similarity queries.
ParadeDB is a PostgreSQL extension that adds high-performance vector search and semantic ranking. Installing it on Windows lets developers build AI-powered features locally without spinning up Linux VMs.
Install PostgreSQL 15+ (64-bit), Visual Studio Build Tools, Git, and Rust (for Cargo). Ensure pg_config is in your PATH so Cargo can locate PostgreSQL headers.
Clone ParadeDB: git clone https://github.com/Paradedb/paradedb.git
. From PowerShell, run cargo pgx install
. The command builds paradedb.dll
and copies it to %POSTGRES_HOME%\lib
.
Open postgresql.conf
and add shared_preload_libraries = 'paradedb'
. Restart the PostgreSQL Windows service from Services .msc or by running pg_ctl restart
.
Connect with psql or your SQL editor and execute CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS paradedb;
. The extension’s SQL objects become available immediately.
Create an ivfflat
index on product names or embeddings. The index accelerates similarity searches for recommendations or search-as-you-type.
Use the <->
operator to rank vectors by distance. Combine with LIMIT to return the closest matches instantly.
Keep the Rust toolchain up-to-date, pin ParadeDB versions in Cargo.toml, and add the DLL to source control ignore lists. Use a separate test instance before upgrading production Postgres clusters.
Missing Visual Studio build tools causes link.exe not found
; install Desktop development with C++ workload. Forgetting shared_preload_libraries
leads to could not access file paradedb
; update config then restart.
Yes. ParadeDB GitHub releases include paradedb.dll
. Copy it to %POSTGRES_HOME%\lib
, add it to shared_preload_libraries
, and restart PostgreSQL.
The project targets PostgreSQL 15+. Earlier versions may compile but are not officially supported. Upgrade for full compatibility.
ParadeDB is open-source under the Apache 2.0 license and is used in production systems. Always test upgrades and monitor query plans.