Why the Extension Can't Just Be Installed

Managed cloud PostgreSQL services do not let you place files on the server's own filesystem. The standard PostgreSQL extension mechanism (CREATE EXTENSION) needs a .control file and a SQL file to already exist in the server's extension directory — a path you cannot write to on any managed service.

pg_relay is a pure SQL extension — it contains no compiled C code. This means the whole extension can be deployed by running its SQL files directly against the database, in your own client session. The result is functionally identical to CREATE EXTENSION pg_relay: the same schema, tables, functions, triggers, roles, and permissions are created, bringing you to the current version, 1.1. The only operational differences are:

	CREATE EXTENSION	Manual SQL deployment
Installation	CREATE EXTENSION pg_relay	CREATE SCHEMA pgrelay + run the base script, then the upgrade script that brings it to 1.1
Removal	DROP EXTENSION pg_relay	DROP SCHEMA pgrelay CASCADE; DROP ROLE pgrelay;
Upgrade	ALTER EXTENSION pg_relay UPDATE	Apply the updated SQL file manually
Extension catalogue	Appears in pg_extension	Does not appear in pg_extension

Everything else — channels, event processing, the audit log, the durable queue, every management function — works identically either way.

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