# check_function_bodies

> check_function_bodies is the PostgreSQL setting that controls whether PostgreSQL checks routine bodies during CREATE FUNCTION and CREATE PROCEDURE.
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Fact — official short description:** “Check routine bodies during CREATE FUNCTION and CREATE PROCEDURE.”

## Identity {#identity}

| Field | Value | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type | `bool` | Upstream pg_settings type |
| Context | `user` | Settable by an ordinary user |
| Unit | — | Raw unit |
| Range | — | Raw limits in the last observed version |
| Enum values | — | — for non-enum types |
| Category | Client Connection Defaults / Statement Behavior | Upstream classification |
| Latest boot value | `on` | on |
{.fields meta="-"}

## Lifecycle {#lifecycle}

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| First observed | PG9.0 (research boundary) |
| Present in | PG9.0–19 Beta 3 |
| Removed in | No |
| Introduction commit | Not asserted: predates the PG9.0 research boundary |
| Commit date | — |
| Discussion | — |

## Default history {#default-history}

| Versions | Raw `boot_val` | Unit | Human value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PG9.0–19 Beta 3 | `on` | — | on |
{.full-width caption="Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults"}

## How it works {#mechanism}

check_function_bodies checks routine bodies during CREATE FUNCTION and CREATE PROCEDURE. Turning it off suppresses creation-time validation, which is useful for dump restores and forward references but defers errors until execution.

check_function_bodies is a USER-context setting. An authorized role can change it for a session, while ALTER ROLE or ALTER DATABASE can establish a default for future sessions.

It supplies a default only when SQL omits an explicit choice, so schema migrations, object-level options, privileges, and later ALTER operations can override or outlive it.

## Tuning advice {#tuning-advice}

> [!TIP]
> **Advice.** These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

| Workload | Guidance |
| --- | --- |
| OLTP | Keep check_function_bodies on for ordinary migrations so invalid routine bodies fail early. Disable it only inside a controlled dump restore or forward-reference sequence and restore it immediately. |
| OLAP | Analytical routines need the same creation-time validation; bulk deployment is not a reason to hide syntax or dependency errors. |
| Small nodes | Leave it on. Validation cost occurs at routine creation and is preferable to discovering a broken function during production execution. |
{.full-width}

## Pigsty {#pigsty}

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

| Template | Effective value | Versus upstream boot | Source expression |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OLTP | Unmodified | — | — |
| OLAP | Unmodified | — | — |
| CRIT | Unmodified | — | — |
| TINY | Unmodified | — | — |
{.full-width}

> [!CAUTION]
> **Advice — pending human review.** Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

## Common pitfalls {#common-pitfalls}

- Changing check_function_bodies in one session and assuming role defaults, database defaults, or other pooled sessions changed with it.
- Expecting a changed default to rewrite existing objects or override explicit DDL clauses.
- Ignoring tablespace privileges, installed access methods or compression support, and restore portability.
- Changing check_function_bodies globally without a rollback plan and a client or operational compatibility test.

## Related parameters {#related-parameters}

[`default_table_access_method`](/parameters/default-table-access-method/) · [`default_tablespace`](/parameters/default-tablespace/) · [`temp_tablespaces`](/parameters/temp-tablespaces/) · [`default_toast_compression`](/parameters/default-toast-compression/) · [`maintenance_work_mem`](/parameters/maintenance-work-mem/)

## References {#references}

- [PostgreSQL 19 Beta 3 — check_function_bodies](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/runtime-config-client.html#GUC-CHECK-FUNCTION-BODIES)
- [PostgreSQL 19 release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/release-19.html)
- [Machine-readable GUC export](/data/guc.jsonl)