---
id: 6c0a07ae-862b-47c1-a42f-2004195d731b
---

# PostgreSQL Index Corruption
---

PostgreSQL Index Corruption refers to a situation where the indexes of a PostgreSQL database become corrupted or damaged. This can cause problems with database queries, leading to errors and degraded performance. When this occurs, it is usually necessary to repair the indexes to restore the database to its normal state. Failure to address index corruption issues can result in data loss or other serious consequences.

### Parameters
```shell
export DATABASE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export TABLE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export DATABASE_PATH="PLACEHOLDER"

export PATH_TO_BACKUP_FILE="PLACEHOLDER"
```

## Debug

### Check PostgreSQL version
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -c "SELECT version();"
```

### Check the number of indexes in the database
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "\diS+"
```

### Check for index corruption in a specific table
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "SELECT * FROM pgstattuple(${TABLE_NAME})"
```

### Check for general corruption in the database
```shell
sudo -u postgres pg_dumpall | gzip -9 > dump.sql.gz && gunzip -c dump.sql.gz | psql ${DATABASE_NAME}
```

### Rebuild all indexes in a specific table
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "REINDEX TABLE ${TABLE_NAME};"
```

### Rebuild all indexes in the entire database
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "REINDEX DATABASE ${DATABASE_NAME};"
```

### Analyze a specific table to update its statistics
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "ANALYZE ${TABLE_NAME};"
```

### Analyze the entire database to update its statistics
```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "ANALYZE;"
```

### Database maintenance: Incorrect execution of database maintenance tasks, such as vacuuming or reindexing, can cause index corruption.
```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Set the database name and path

DB_NAME=${DATABASE_NAME}

DB_PATH=${DATABASE_PATH}



# Check if the database is running

if pgrep "postgres" > /dev/null

then

    echo "Database is running"

else

    echo "Database is not running"

    exit 1

fi



# Check if the database has been vacuumed recently

if [ "$(find $DB_PATH -name "pg_stat_*" -mtime -7)" ]

then

    echo "Database has been vacuumed recently"

else

    echo "Database has not been vacuumed recently"

fi



# Check if the database has been reindexed recently

if [ "$(find $DB_PATH -name "pg_index_*" -mtime -7)" ]

then

    echo "Database has been reindexed recently"

else

    echo "Database has not been reindexed recently"

fi


```

## Repair

### If repair is not possible or does not resolve the issue, consider restoring from a backup of the database that was taken prior to the index corruption issue.
```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Define variables

DB_NAME=${DATABASE_NAME}

BACKUP_FILE=${PATH_TO_BACKUP_FILE}



# Stop PostgreSQL service

sudo systemctl stop postgresql



# Drop the existing database

sudo -u postgres psql -c "DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS $DB_NAME"



# Create a new database

sudo -u postgres psql -c "CREATE DATABASE $DB_NAME"



# Restore the database from backup

sudo -u postgres pg_restore -d $DB_NAME $BACKUP_FILE



# Restart PostgreSQL service

sudo systemctl start postgresql


```

PostgreSQL Index Corruption refers to a situation where the indexes of a PostgreSQL database become corrupted or damaged. This can cause problems with database queries, leading to errors and degraded performance. When this occurs, it is usually necessary to repair the indexes to restore the database to its normal state. Failure to address index corruption issues can result in data loss or other serious consequences.


This incident type occurs when there are too many locks acquired on a Postgresql database instance. This can cause issues with database performance and functionality. It may be necessary to adjust the max\_locks\_per\_transaction setting in Postgresql to prevent this issue from occurring.


Postgresql too many locks acquired

This incident type refers to a situation where the Postgresql database has a high rollback rate, which means that a high percentage of transactions are being aborted compared to the committed ones. This can cause issues with data consistency and performance, and may require investigation and resolution by the responsible team. The incident details may include information about the affected database instance, the service or system impacted, the urgency level, and any related alerts or escalations.


Postgresql high rollback rate incident

This incident type refers to a scenario where there is a high rate of statement timeouts in a Postgresql database instance. This can lead to degraded performance and potentially impact the availability of the database. It is important to quickly identify and address the underlying cause of the timeouts to ensure the stability of the system.


Postgresql high rate statement timeout incident.

This incident type occurs when there is a failure in the authentication process for the Postgres user's password. This can happen due to a variety of reasons such as incorrect login credentials, expired passwords, or database configuration issues. It is important to address this type of incident promptly to ensure that the database remains secure and accessible only to authorized users.


Password Authentication Failure for Postgres User

This incident type occurs when the maximum number of connections allowed to a Postgres database has been reached. This prevents new connections from being established and can result in errors or downtime. It is important to monitor connection usage and adjust the maximum connection limit as needed to prevent this issue from occurring.


Postgres Connection Limit Reached

```shell
export DATABASE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export TABLE_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export DATABASE_PATH="PLACEHOLDER"

export PATH_TO_BACKUP_FILE="PLACEHOLDER"
```


### Check PostgreSQL version

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -c "SELECT version();"
```

### Check the number of indexes in the database

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "\diS+"
```

### Check for index corruption in a specific table

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "SELECT * FROM pgstattuple(${TABLE_NAME})"
```

### Check for general corruption in the database

```shell
sudo -u postgres pg_dumpall | gzip -9 > dump.sql.gz && gunzip -c dump.sql.gz | psql ${DATABASE_NAME}
```

### Rebuild all indexes in a specific table

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "REINDEX TABLE ${TABLE_NAME};"
```

### Rebuild all indexes in the entire database

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "REINDEX DATABASE ${DATABASE_NAME};"
```

### Analyze a specific table to update its statistics

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "ANALYZE ${TABLE_NAME};"
```

### Analyze the entire database to update its statistics

```shell
sudo -u postgres psql -d ${DATABASE_NAME} -c "ANALYZE;"
```

### Database maintenance: Incorrect execution of database maintenance tasks, such as vacuuming or reindexing, can cause index corruption.

```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Set the database name and path

DB_NAME=${DATABASE_NAME}

DB_PATH=${DATABASE_PATH}



# Check if the database is running

if pgrep "postgres" > /dev/null

then

    echo "Database is running"

else

    echo "Database is not running"

    exit 1

fi



# Check if the database has been vacuumed recently

if [ "$(find $DB_PATH -name "pg_stat_*" -mtime -7)" ]

then

    echo "Database has been vacuumed recently"

else

    echo "Database has not been vacuumed recently"

fi



# Check if the database has been reindexed recently

if [ "$(find $DB_PATH -name "pg_index_*" -mtime -7)" ]

then

    echo "Database has been reindexed recently"

else

    echo "Database has not been reindexed recently"

fi


```


### If repair is not possible or does not resolve the issue, consider restoring from a backup of the database that was taken prior to the index corruption issue.

```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Define variables

DB_NAME=${DATABASE_NAME}

BACKUP_FILE=${PATH_TO_BACKUP_FILE}



# Stop PostgreSQL service

sudo systemctl stop postgresql



# Drop the existing database

sudo -u postgres psql -c "DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS $DB_NAME"



# Create a new database

sudo -u postgres psql -c "CREATE DATABASE $DB_NAME"



# Restore the database from backup

sudo -u postgres pg_restore -d $DB_NAME $BACKUP_FILE



# Restart PostgreSQL service

sudo systemctl start postgresql


```


PostgreSQL Index Corruption

Overview

Parameters

Debug

Check PostgreSQL version

Check the number of indexes in the database

Check for index corruption in a specific table

Check for general corruption in the database

Rebuild all indexes in a specific table

Rebuild all indexes in the entire database

Analyze a specific table to update its statistics

Analyze the entire database to update its statistics

Database maintenance: Incorrect execution of database maintenance tasks, such as vacuuming or reindexing, can cause index corruption.

Repair

If repair is not possible or does not resolve the issue, consider restoring from a backup of the database that was taken prior to the index corruption issue.

Learn more

Related Runbooks

Postgresql too many locks acquired

Postgresql high rollback rate incident

Postgresql high rate statement timeout incident.

Password Authentication Failure for Postgres User

Support