Answer
Index bloat occurs when indexes accumulate dead entries. Fix with REINDEX or VACUUM FULL.
Quick Answer
Index bloat: dead index entries accumulate after many updates/deletes - index grows without being reclaimed by regular VACUUM. Identify with pgstattuple extension or VACUUM VERBOSE. Fix without downtime: REINDEX CONCURRENTLY (PostgreSQL 12+) rebuilds the index while allowing reads and writes. Or pg_repack. Regular autovacuum helps prevent bloat but can lag on very high-write tables.
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ