pglayers: PostgreSQL extensions as stackable Docker layers

🚀 Announcing pglayers

Pre‑built PostgreSQL extensions as composable Docker image layers

Project: https://github.com/pglayers/pglayers

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📌 What It Does

pglayers publishes 53 PostgreSQL extensions as minimal Docker images (FROM scratch).
Each image contains only:

• Shared libraries
• Control files
• SQL scripts
• Correct filesystem paths

You compose them onto the official postgres Docker image using COPY --from:

dockerfile FROM postgres:17 COPY --from=ghcr.io/pglayers/pgx-pgvector:17 / / COPY --from=ghcr.io/pglayers/pgx-postgis:17 / / COPY --from=ghcr.io/pglayers/pgx-pg_cron:17 / /

No compilation.
No apt-get.
No build tools in the final image.
Just CREATE EXTENSION as usual.

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🟢 Ready-to-Use Images

For a fully preconfigured setup:

bash docker run -d -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=s ghcr.io/pglayers/pglayers-full:17

Includes:

• All 53 extensions
• shared_preload_libraries already set

Also available:

• Azure profile (28 extensions) matching Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server
  Useful for local dev/test against managed services.

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📦 Extensions Included

53 extensions across major categories:

• AI/ML: pgvector
• Geospatial: PostGIS, pgRouting, h3-pg
• Time-series: TimescaleDB
• Analytics: pg_duckdb
• Observability: pgaudit, pg_stat_monitor, pg_qualstats, pg_wait_sampling
• Scheduling: pg_cron
• Partitioning: pg_partman
• Replication: pglogical, pg_failover_slots, wal2json
• Full text search: pg_textsearch, pg_bigm, rum
• And 36 more

Full list: https://github.com/pglayers/pglayers#available-extensions

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🐘 Supported PostgreSQL Versions

• PostgreSQL 17 (stable)
• PostgreSQL 18 (stable)
• PostgreSQL 19 (experimental, beta)

All images support linux/amd64 and linux/arm64.

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🧱 PG 18+ Isolated Layout

PostgreSQL 18 introduces extension_control_path and dynamic_library_path.
pglayers uses these to place each extension in its own namespace:

/extensions/<name>/

Benefits:

• No file collisions
• Multiple versions of the same library can coexist
• Extensions can be mounted at deploy time (no rebuild)

Example:

dockerfile COPY --from=ghcr.io/pglayers/pgx-pgvector:18 / /extensions/pgvector/ COPY --from=ghcr.io/pglayers/pgx-pg_cron:18 / /extensions/pg_cron/

PostgreSQL locates them via:

extension_control_path = '/extensions/pgvector/share:/extensions/pg_cron/share:$system' dynamic_library_path = '/extensions/pgvector/lib:/extensions/pg_cron/lib:$libdir'

Fully compatible with CloudNativePG ≥ 1.27, which auto‑manages these GUCs.

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🧪 Testing

The test suite validates:

• No file collisions between layers
• No overwrites of base image files
• All shared library dependencies resolve (ldd)
• CREATE EXTENSION succeeds for every extension
• Functional smoke tests + integration tests

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📄 Licensing

Only permissive open-source licenses:

• PostgreSQL
• MIT
• BSD
• Apache 2.0
• ISC
• MPL‑2.0

PostGIS and pgRouting (GPL‑2.0) included under the standard mere aggregation interpretation used in the PostgreSQL ecosystem.

No BSL, SSPL, or proprietary-dependency extensions.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome!

Adding a new extension requires:

• Dockerfile
• extension.conf
• test.sql

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Feedback, bug reports, and extension requests via GitHub Issues.

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🙏 Acknowledgements

This project stands on the shoulders of the PostgreSQL community:

• PostgreSQL Global Development Group
• PGDG APT Repository maintainers
• Official PostgreSQL Docker image maintainers
• Debian PostgreSQL team
• Every extension author who publishes under permissive licenses

pglayers is a thin layer of automation on top of their work. Without the quality and consistency of the upstream ecosystem, this project would not exist.

Thanks!
Ismael Mejia