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psql — PostgreSQL Interactive Terminal

type: entityconfidence: highupdated: 2026-06-25sources: 1

psql is a terminal-based front-end to PostgreSQL. It lets you type queries interactively, issue them to the server, and see the results; input can also come from a file or command-line arguments. It additionally provides meta-commands and shell-like features for scripting and administration.

Synopsis and connecting

psql [option...] [dbname [username]]

Connection parameters can be given as options — -d (dbname), -h (host), -p (port), -U (username) — or via the environment variables PGDATABASE, PGHOST, PGPORT, PGUSER. A ~/.pgpass file avoids retyping passwords. A connection string (conninfo or URI) may be used in place of a database name:

psql "service=myservice sslmode=require"
psql postgresql://dbmaster:5433/mydb?sslmode=require

At the prompt (dbname=>), input is sent to the server when a command-terminating semicolon is reached; a newline does not terminate a command, so statements may span several lines.

Useful command-line options

  • -c command — execute one command string, then exit.
  • -f filename — read commands from a file (largely equivalent to \i).
  • -l / --list — list all databases, then exit.
  • -X / --no-psqlrc — skip the start-up ~/.psqlrc file (recommended when restoring dumps).
  • -1 / --single-transaction — wrap all -c/-f work in one transaction.
  • -x — expanded output; -A unaligned; --csv CSV output.

Meta-commands

Anything beginning with an unquoted backslash is a psql meta-command processed by psql itself. Key ones:

  • \c or \connect [dbname [username] [host] [port] | conninfo] — establish a new connection (reuses prior parameters in positional form).
  • \l — list the databases in the server with names, owners, encodings, and access privileges.
  • \dt [pattern] — list tables. (\di indexes, \dv views, \dm materialized views, \ds sequences, \dE foreign tables; combinable, e.g. \dti.)
  • \d [pattern] — describe a relation: columns, types, indexes, constraints, rules, and triggers. \d+ adds more detail. Without a pattern, equivalent to \dtvmsE.
  • \du (alias \dg) — list database roles. \drg shows role memberships.
  • \dn schemas, \df functions, \dx installed extensions, \dp access privileges.
  • \timing — turn on/off display of how long each SQL statement takes (in milliseconds).
  • \copy table FROM 'filename' ... / \copy table TO 'filename' ... — frontend (client-side) COPY; file accessibility and privileges are those of the local user, no SQL superuser rights required.
  • \e / \edit — open the current query buffer (or a file) in your editor; on exit its contents return to the buffer.
  • \ef / \ev — edit a function or view definition.
  • \i filename — read input from a file and execute it as if typed at the keyboard.
  • \x — toggle expanded table formatting (one column per line), useful for wide rows.
  • \g [filename | |command] — send the current query buffer (like ;), optionally redirecting output.
  • \watch [seconds] — repeatedly execute the current query buffer.
  • \q — quit.

Scripting and exit status

psql returns 0 on normal completion, 1 on its own fatal error, 2 on a broken connection in a non-interactive session, and 3 when a script error occurs and ON_ERROR_STOP is set. Setting ON_ERROR_STOP=on makes scripts halt on the first SQL error rather than continuing. \if/\elif/\else/\endif provide conditional blocks.

See also