INITDB(1) PostgreSQL Server Applications INITDB(1)NAMEinitdb - Create a new Postgres database cluster
SYNOPSISinitdb { --pgdata | -D dbdir } [ --sysid | -i sysid ] [ --pwprompt |
-W ] [ --encoding | -E encoding ] [ -L directory ] [ --noclean | -n ]
[ --debug | -d ]
DESCRIPTIONinitdb creates a new Postgres database cluster or system. A database
cluster is a collection of databases that are managed by a single post‐
master.
Creating a database system consists of creating the directories in
which the database data will live, generating the shared catalog tables
(tables that belong to the whole cluster rather than to any particular
database), and creating the template1 database. When you create a new
database, everything in the template1 database is copied. It contains
catalog tables filled in for things like the built-in types.
You must not execute initdb as root; it must be run by the Unix user
account that will run the database server. This is because you cannot
run the database server as root either, but the server needs to have
access to the files initdb creates. Furthermore, during the initializa‐
tion phase, when there are no users and no access controls installed,
Postgres will only connect with the name of the current Unix user, so
you must log in under the account that will own the server process.
Although initdb will attempt to create the specified data directory,
often it won't have permission to do so, since the parent of the
desired data directory is often a root-owned directory. To set up an
arrangement like this, create an empty data directory as root, then use
chown to hand over ownership of that directory to the database user
account, then su to become the database user, and finally run initdb as
the database user.
OPTIONS
--pgdata=dbdir
-D dbdir
This option specifies where in the file system the database
should be stored. This is the only information required by
initdb, but you can avoid writing it by setting the PGDATA envi‐
ronment variable, which can be convenient since the database
server (postmaster) can find the database directory later by the
same variable.
--sysid=sysid
-i sysid
Selects the system id of the database superuser. This defaults
to the effective user id of the user running initdb. It is
really not important what the superuser's sysid is, but one
might choose to start the numbering at some number like 1.
--pwprompt
-W Makes initdb prompt for a password to give the database supe‐
ruser. If you don't plan on using password authentication, this
is not important. Otherwise you won't be able to use password
authentication until you have a password set up.
--encoding=encoding
-E encoding
Selects the multibyte encoding of the template database. This
will also be the default encoding of any database you create
later, unless you override it there. To use the multibyte encod‐
ing feature, you must specify so at build time, at which time
you also select the default for this option.
Other, less commonly used, parameters are also available:
-L directory
Specifies where initdb should find its input files to initialize
the database system. This is normally not necessary. You will be
told if you need to specify their location explicitly.
--noclean
-n By default, when initdb determines that an error prevented it
from completely creating the database system, it removes any
files it may have created before discovering that it can't fin‐
ish the job. This option inhibits tidying-up and is thus useful
for debugging.
--debug
-d Print debugging output from the bootstrap backend and a few
other messages of lesser interest for the general public. The
bootstrap backend is the program initdb uses to create the cata‐
log tables. This option generates a tremendous amount of
extremely boring output.
SEE ALSO
PostgreSQL Administrator's Guide
Application 2000-12-25 INITDB(1)