Last updated May 11, 2023

Heroku Data add-ons have experimental features that are under consideration for inclusion in the Heroku platform. By using the data:labs command, you can enable and disable experimental features on your Heroku Data add-on. Heroku Data Labs features are only available on production Heroku Postgres plans (Standard, Premium, Private, and Shield).

Install or Update the Heroku Data CLI Plugin

To use the data:labs command, you must have the latest version of the Heroku Data CLI plugin.

Installing the Heroku Data CLI Plugin

To install the data plugin, use the following CLI command:

$ heroku plugins:install @heroku-cli/plugin-data

Updating the Heroku Data CLI Plugin

The Heroku CLI keeps itself up-to-date automatically. However, if you installed the Debian/Ubuntu package, or used npm install, you must update the CLI manually. To update the data plugin, use the update CLI command:

$ heroku update

List Available Experimental Features

To get a list of experimental features available for your Heroku add-on, use the heroku data:labs:list command:

$ heroku data:labs:list ADDON_NAME
=== Experimental Features Available for ADDON_NAME:

The list command also displays the statuses of available features on your Heroku add-on. For example, if WAL compression is enabled on your Heroku Postgres add-on:

$ heroku data:labs:list postgresql-example-1234
=== Experimental Features Available for postgresql-example-1234:
[+] wal-compression         Write-ahead log compression on Heroku Postgres addons

Enable an Experimental Feature

To enable an experimental feature on your Heroku add-on, use the heroku data:labs:enable command. You must include the --addon flag. You can optionally specify the -a, --app flag for extra detail:

$ heroku data:labs:enable FEATURE --addon=ADDON_NAME -a example-app
Enabling FEATURE on ADDON_NAME... done

Depending on the feature, enabling can take 15 minutes or more. You can check the status by using the heroku data:labs:list command.

Disable an Experimental Feature

Disabling an experimental feature on your Heroku add-on is similar to enabling. Use the heroku data:labs:disable command. The --addon flag is required:

$ heroku data:labs:disable FEATURE --addon=ADDON_NAME -a example-app
Disabling FEATURE on ADDON_NAME... done