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psql Cheat Sheet

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Deep psql reference for connection flags, slash commands, formatting, and automation.

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Connecting and Session Variables

Connection parameters, startup flags, and handy variables.

Connect with host port user and database

Connect with explicit connection flags.

bashANYpsqlconnect
↗#
bash
psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U appuser -d appdb
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Never prompt for password

Fail instead of prompting for a password.

bashANYpsqlconnectpassword
↗#
bash
psql -w -h localhost -U appuser -d appdb
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Force password prompt

Always prompt for the password interactively.

bashANYpsqlpassword
↗#
bash
psql -W -h localhost -U appuser -d appdb
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Set psql variable

Create or update a psql variable.

sqlANYpsqlvariables
↗#
sql
\set schema_name public
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Use psql variable in SQL

Interpolate a psql variable in a command.

sqlANYpsqlvariablesautomation
↗#
sql
SELECT * FROM :schema_name.users LIMIT 5;
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Show current connection

Display current host, port, user, and database connection info.

sqlANYpsqlconnectioninspect
↗#
sql
\conninfo
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Use PGPASSFILE

Use a password file for noninteractive authentication.

bashANYpsqlauthautomation
↗#
bash
PGPASSFILE=./.pgpass psql -h localhost -U appuser -d appdb
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Run one command and exit

Execute a single SQL command from the shell.

bashANYpsqlautomation
↗#
bash
psql -d appdb -c "SELECT now();"
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Meta-commands and Catalog Navigation

Slash commands to inspect the server quickly.

List tables

List tables in visible schemas.

sqlANYpsqltables
↗#
sql
\dt
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List views

List views in visible schemas.

sqlANYpsqlviews
↗#
sql
\dv
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List functions

List functions in the current database.

sqlANYpsqlfunctions
↗#
sql
\df
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List sequences

List sequences.

sqlANYpsqlsequences
↗#
sql
\ds
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List access privileges

Show grants and ownership for a relation.

sqlANYpsqlprivilegesinspect
↗#
sql
\z public.users
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Describe function

Show function details including source and volatility.

sqlANYpsqlfunctiondescribe
↗#
sql
\df+ public.set_updated_at
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List types

List data types defined in the database.

sqlANYpsqltypes
↗#
sql
\dT
Notes

See summary for usage details.

List foreign tables

List foreign tables defined via FDWs.

sqlANYpsqlforeign-data-wrapper
↗#
sql
\det
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Repeat command with watch

Rerun the current query every 5 seconds.

sqlANYpsqlwatchmonitoring
↗#
sql
\watch 5
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Show meta-command help

List all psql slash commands.

sqlANYpsqlhelp
↗#
sql
\?
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Formatting and Output Control

Shape result output for terminals, CSV, and scripts.

Unaligned output

Print output without table borders for scripting.

sqlANYpsqlformatting
↗#
sql
\pset format unaligned
Notes

See summary for usage details.

CSV output

Render result output as CSV.

sqlANYpsqlcsvformatting
↗#
sql
\pset format csv
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Tuples only

Suppress headers and footers.

sqlANYpsqlformattingscripts
↗#
sql
\t on
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Set border style

Adjust table border rendering.

sqlANYpsqlformatting
↗#
sql
\pset border 2
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Set NULL display

Customize how null values are shown.

sqlANYpsqlformattingnull
↗#
sql
\pset null '[NULL]'
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Write query output to file

Send query output to a file until reset.

sqlANYpsqloutputfile
↗#
sql
\o /tmp/query-output.txt
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Reset output target

Return output to stdout.

sqlANYpsqloutput
↗#
sql
\o
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Export query to CSV

Client-side export of a query result to CSV.

sqlANYpsqlcopycsv
↗#
sql
\copy (SELECT * FROM public.users ORDER BY user_id) TO '/tmp/users.csv' CSV HEADER
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Scripting and Automation

Use psql in repeatable scripts and deployment tasks.

Stop on first error

Exit immediately when a script encounters an error.

bashANYpsqlscriptserror-handling
↗#
bash
psql -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -d appdb -f deploy.sql
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Pass variable on command line

Inject psql variables from the shell.

bashANYpsqlvariablesscripts
↗#
bash
psql -v target_schema=public -d appdb -f script.sql
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Echo all commands

Print input lines as they are executed.

bashANYpsqlscriptsdebug
↗#
bash
psql -a -d appdb -f script.sql
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Echo hidden commands

Show underlying SQL generated by backslash commands.

bashANYpsqldebugcatalog
↗#
bash
psql -E -d appdb
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Execute script in one transaction

Wrap the script in a single transaction.

bashANYpsqlscriptstransaction
↗#
bash
psql -1 -d appdb -f migration.sql
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Conditional blocks in psql

Use psql conditionals in interactive or scripted sessions.

sqlANYpsqlconditionalsautomation
↗#
sql
\if :{?target_schema}
  \echo 'target schema set'
\else
  \echo 'target schema missing'
\endif
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Include another script

Read and execute another SQL file.

sqlANYpsqlincludescripts
↗#
sql
\i ./common.sql
Notes

See summary for usage details.

Run shell command from psql

Execute a shell command from inside psql.

sqlANYpsqlshellutility
↗#
sql
\! date
Notes

See summary for usage details.

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