DROP_INDEX - remove an index
Contents
Compatibility
DROPINDEX is a PostgreSQL language extension. There are no provisions for indexes in the SQL standard.
Description
DROPINDEX drops an existing index from the database system. To execute this command you must be the
owner of the index.
Examples
This command will remove the index title_idx:
DROP INDEX title_idx;
Name
DROP_INDEX - remove an index
Parameters
CONCURRENTLY
Drop the index without locking out concurrent selects, inserts, updates, and deletes on the index's
table. A normal DROPINDEX acquires an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE lock on the table, blocking other accesses
until the index drop can be completed. With this option, the command instead waits until conflicting
transactions have completed.
There are several caveats to be aware of when using this option. Only one index name can be
specified, and the CASCADE option is not supported. (Thus, an index that supports a UNIQUE or PRIMARY
KEY constraint cannot be dropped this way.) Also, regular DROPINDEX commands can be performed within
a transaction block, but DROPINDEXCONCURRENTLY cannot. Lastly, indexes on partitioned tables cannot
be dropped using this option.
For temporary tables, DROPINDEX is always non-concurrent, as no other session can access them, and
non-concurrent index drop is cheaper.
IF EXISTS
Do not throw an error if the index does not exist. A notice is issued in this case.
name
The name (optionally schema-qualified) of an index to remove.
CASCADE
Automatically drop objects that depend on the index, and in turn all objects that depend on those
objects (see Section 5.15).
RESTRICT
Refuse to drop the index if any objects depend on it. This is the default.
See Also
CREATE INDEX (CREATE_INDEX(7))
PostgreSQL 17.5 2025 DROPINDEX(7)
Synopsis
DROP INDEX [ CONCURRENTLY ] [ IF EXISTS ] name [, ...] [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]
