This guide helps you enable CloudSync on a self-hosted PostgreSQL database. CloudSync adds offline-first synchronization capabilities to your PostgreSQL database.
You can enable CloudSync in one of two ways:
- Use the published Docker image if you run PostgreSQL in Docker
- Install the released extension files into an existing native PostgreSQL installation
Use the published PostgreSQL image that already includes the CloudSync extension:
sqlitecloud/sqlite-sync-postgres:15sqlitecloud/sqlite-sync-postgres:17
Example using Docker Compose:
services:
db:
image: sqlitecloud/sqlite-sync-postgres:17
container_name: cloudsync-postgres
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your-secure-password
POSTGRES_DB: postgres
ports:
- "5432:5432"
volumes:
- pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
- ./init.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init.sql:ro
volumes:
pg_data:Create init.sql:
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS cloudsync;Run:
docker compose up -dIf you already run PostgreSQL directly on a VM or bare metal, download the release tarball that matches your operating system, CPU architecture, and PostgreSQL major version.
Extract the archive, then copy the extension files into PostgreSQL's extension directories. The tarball ships cloudsync.control, a cloudsync--<version>.sql install script for the current release, and — from release 1.0.17 onward — any cloudsync--<from>--<to>.sql upgrade scripts needed so existing installations can run ALTER EXTENSION cloudsync UPDATE.
cp cloudsync.so "$(pg_config --pkglibdir)/"
cp cloudsync.control cloudsync--*.sql "$(pg_config --sharedir)/extension/"Then connect to PostgreSQL and enable the extension:
CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS cloudsync;If you are using Docker:
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres -d postgres -c "SELECT cloudsync_version();"If you are using an existing PostgreSQL installation without Docker:
psql -U postgres -d postgres -c "SELECT cloudsync_version();"If the extension is installed correctly, PostgreSQL returns the CloudSync version string.
CloudSync uses the first two components of its semver as the PostgreSQL extension version (for example, 1.0.17 installs as extension version 1.0). How you upgrade depends on which component changed:
-
PATCH release (e.g.
1.0.17 → 1.0.18): pull the new Docker image or replace the extension files on disk and restart PostgreSQL. No SQL-level upgrade is needed —installed_versionstays at1.0and the new binary takes over on reconnect.SELECT cloudsync_version();confirms the new semver. -
MINOR or MAJOR release (e.g.
1.0.x → 1.1.0): pull the new artifacts as above, then run once per database:ALTER EXTENSION cloudsync UPDATE;PostgreSQL applies any
cloudsync--<from>--<to>.sqlupgrade scripts shipped with the release and movesinstalled_versionto the new value.
You can check the current state at any time:
SELECT name, default_version, installed_version
FROM pg_available_extensions
WHERE name = 'cloudsync';If installed_version is behind default_version after a release, run ALTER EXTENSION cloudsync UPDATE; to catch up.
In the CloudSync dashboard, create a new workspace with the PostgreSQL provider, then add a project with your PostgreSQL connection string:
postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database
In the dashboard, go to the Database Setup tab, select the tables you want to sync, and click Deploy Changes.
On the Client Integration tab you'll find your Database ID and authentication settings.
The fastest way to test CloudSync without per-user access control — no JWT setup needed.
SELECT cloudsync_network_init('<database-id>');
SELECT cloudsync_network_set_apikey('<username>:<password>');
SELECT cloudsync_network_sync();- Set Row Level Security to Yes, enforce RLS
- Under Authentication (JWT), click Configure authentication and choose:
- HMAC Secret (HS256): Enter your JWT secret (or generate one:
openssl rand -base64 32) - JWKS Issuer Validation: Enter the issuer base URL from your token's
issclaim (e.g.https://your-auth-domain). CloudSync automatically fetches the JWKS document from<issuer-url>/.well-known/jwks.json
- HMAC Secret (HS256): Enter your JWT secret (or generate one:
- In your client code:
SELECT cloudsync_network_init('<database-id>'); SELECT cloudsync_network_set_token('<jwt-token>'); SELECT cloudsync_network_sync();