Huge index size on table

Question

I have a large index on a specific table, and I wonder if it's better to drop and recreate it or use the REINDEX command. The table's total size is 322GB, with an index size of 166GB and an actual size of 156GB. I am using PostgreSQL 11

What would be the best approach?

Answer 1

REINDEX is simpler than dropping and re-creating the index, and the effect will be the same. Depending on what columns the table and the index have, and depending on what type of index it is, the size of the index could be normal.