pgextwlist

A sudo model for PostgreSQL extensions

pgextwlist lets cloud providers and hosting platforms safely offer PostgreSQL extension installation to non-superuser tenants, using a whitelist and privilege-elevation model.

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What pgextwlist does

Controlled privilege elevation for extension management

pgextwlist intercepts CREATE EXTENSION statements and runs whitelisted ones under superuser privileges, dropping those privileges before returning control to the caller — so tenants get the extensions they need without ever holding superuser access.

Why it matters

Superuser is required, but cannot be granted

PostgreSQL requires superuser to install most C-coded extensions
Cloud tenants cannot be given superuser access
Without a solution, extensions like PostGIS or pgcrypto are simply unavailable
pgextwlist bridges the gap without compromising database security

Typical use cases

Where pgextwlist fits

Managed PostgreSQL offerings (Heroku, Aiven, Zalando Spilo, Azure Database for PostgreSQL)
Kubernetes-based Postgres operators
Multi-tenant SaaS platforms
Private clouds where DBA and tenant roles are separate

Key capabilities

Fine-grained control over extension lifecycle

Per-server or per-role whitelist via extwlist.extensions
Covers CREATE, DROP, ALTER UPDATE, COMMENT ON EXTENSION
Custom SQL scripts run before/after each operation
Supports PostgreSQL 10 through 18
Packaged for Debian, Ubuntu, and RPM distributions

Current focus

Active maintenance areas

Current work focuses on PostgreSQL major-version compatibility (CI on PG 10–18), custom scripts documentation, and packaging for current Debian and RPM targets.

How maintenance works

Queue, SLA, quarterly releases

Work is prioritized through a queue. Supported users receive priority handling, with defined response times. Fixes and improvements are grouped and shipped in quarterly releases.

See support options

Get pgextwlist

Open source and available now

pgextwlist is open source and developed in public. Load it via local_preload_libraries and configure the whitelist with extwlist.extensions.

GitHub

Support pgextwlist

Keep extension whitelisting reliable

If pgextwlist is part of your managed PostgreSQL stack, supporting its maintenance ensures continued PostgreSQL version compatibility, faster bug fixes, and long-term reliability for your tenants.

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