apache / apache/age

Windows prebuilt binaries for PG16 (AGE 1.5.0) — community builds gone, request for an official or tracked build

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Description

# Issue draft for apache/age — "Prebuilt Windows binaries for PG16 (AGE 1.5.0) are unavailable; community builds have vanished"

## Body draft

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### Title: Windows prebuilt binaries for PG16 (AGE 1.5.0) — community builds gone, request for an official or tracked build

**TL;DR:** AGE on Windows for PostgreSQL 16 has no maintained prebuilt binary anywhere. Two community builds existed in 2024 and have since disappeared. Could Apache track/offer a Windows x64 build for PG16, or bless a canonical community build?

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**Context**

I run PostgreSQL 16.14 on Windows (x64). My application depends on AGE 1.5.0, and the extension is registered in my shared database — but the Windows side cannot `LOAD 'age'` because there is no `age.dll` compiled for PG16 on Windows.

**What I've checked (thoroughly):**

1. **Apache official releases** — source-only (`*-src.tar.gz`). No Windows binaries, ever. The README's Windows section requires building from source with Visual Studio C++ support.
2. **Community builds that existed:**
- `ShanGor/apache-age-windows` — publishes a **PG17.2 + AGE 1.5.0 + pgvector 0.8.0** Windows bundle. Its repo has a `PG16/v1.5.0-rc0` **tag**, but the PG16 release **assets were never published** (only the PG17 release has files). The PG17 `age.dll` is ABI-locked and will not load into PG16.
- `MironAtHome/agewin` — a PG16/1.5.0 Windows MSVC port existed (referenced in apache/age issue #1542, 2024-02-09), but the fork has since been **deleted** (HTTP 404, no Wayback snapshot).
3. **Extension ecosystem packages** — Pigsty and others publish Linux RPMs only; nothing for Windows x64.

**What I need**

A `age.dll` (plus `age.control` and `age--1.5.0*.sql`) compiled for **PostgreSQL 16, Windows x64**, at version **1.5.0** to match my shared database's registered extension version. The SQL/control files are portable; the DLL is the only missing piece.

**What would help**

- An official (or tracked) Windows x64 build for PG16 — even if unofficial, a canonical link in the README so the community stops re-discovering this each year.
- Or: a way to build it without requiring full Visual Studio (the current README requirement).
- Or: blessing a community build (e.g., ShanGor's pipeline, which demonstrably builds PG12–PG17) to publish the PG16 artifact.

**Why it matters**

Every month, Windows users hit this wall (issues #94, #138, #287, #516, #1542 all closed with no durable solution). The builds that existed were lost to deleted forks. A single tracked Windows build would end this loop permanently.

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*Thank you for maintaining AGE — it's the best graph extension for PostgreSQL, and the only thing missing is a Windows door.*

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the README's Windows build section and the prior AGE issue #1542, then review the referenced ShanGor PG16 tag and its available release assets. Determine whether the project can track or publish a PostgreSQL 16 Windows x64 build. Done means a reproducible or canonical build path is documented and the required AGE 1.5.0 artifacts are available or explicitly tracked.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c, postgresql
Domain
build-system, databases, operating-systems, release
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
43/100

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