Supported versions: Current (18) / 17 / 16 / 15 / 14

Development versions: 19 / 20devel

Unsupported versions: 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 / 9.6 / 9.5 / 9.4 / 9.3 / 9.2 / 9.1 / 9.0 / 8.4 / 8.3 / 8.2 / 8.1 / 8.0 / 7.4 / 7.3 / 7.2 / 7.1

Historical version. PostgreSQL 8.1 has reached end of support. See the current manual.

VI. Reference

The entries in this Reference are meant to provide in reasonable length an authoritative, complete, and formal summary about their respective subjects. More information about the use of PostgreSQL, in narrative, tutorial, or example form, may be found in other parts of this book. See the cross-references listed on each reference page.

The reference entries are also available as traditional "man" pages.

Table of Contents

I. SQL Commands

ABORT -- abort the current transaction
ALTER AGGREGATE -- change the definition of an aggregate function
ALTER CONVERSION -- change the definition of a conversion
ALTER DATABASE -- change a database
ALTER DOMAIN -- change the definition of a domain
ALTER FUNCTION -- change the definition of a function
ALTER GROUP -- change role name or membership
ALTER INDEX -- change the definition of an index
ALTER LANGUAGE -- change the definition of a procedural language
ALTER OPERATOR -- change the definition of an operator
ALTER OPERATOR CLASS -- change the definition of an operator class
ALTER ROLE -- change a database role
ALTER SCHEMA -- change the definition of a schema
ALTER SEQUENCE -- change the definition of a sequence generator
ALTER TABLE -- change the definition of a table
ALTER TABLESPACE -- change the definition of a tablespace
ALTER TRIGGER -- change the definition of a trigger
ALTER TYPE -- change the definition of a type
ALTER USER -- change a database role
ANALYZE -- collect statistics about a database
BEGIN -- start a transaction block
CHECKPOINT -- force a transaction log checkpoint
CLOSE -- close a cursor
CLUSTER -- cluster a table according to an index
COMMENT -- define or change the comment of an object
COMMIT -- commit the current transaction
COMMIT PREPARED -- commit a transaction that was earlier prepared for two-phase commit
COPY -- copy data between a file and a table
CREATE AGGREGATE -- define a new aggregate function
CREATE CAST -- define a new cast
CREATE CONSTRAINT TRIGGER -- define a new constraint trigger
CREATE CONVERSION -- define a new encoding conversion
CREATE DATABASE -- create a new database
CREATE DOMAIN -- define a new domain
CREATE FUNCTION -- define a new function
CREATE GROUP -- define a new database role
CREATE INDEX -- define a new index
CREATE LANGUAGE -- define a new procedural language
CREATE OPERATOR -- define a new operator
CREATE OPERATOR CLASS -- define a new operator class
CREATE ROLE -- define a new database role
CREATE RULE -- define a new rewrite rule
CREATE SCHEMA -- define a new schema
CREATE SEQUENCE -- define a new sequence generator
CREATE TABLE -- define a new table
CREATE TABLE AS -- define a new table from the results of a query
CREATE TABLESPACE -- define a new tablespace
CREATE TRIGGER -- define a new trigger
CREATE TYPE -- define a new data type
CREATE USER -- define a new database role
CREATE VIEW -- define a new view
DEALLOCATE -- deallocate a prepared statement
DECLARE -- define a cursor
DELETE -- delete rows of a table
DROP AGGREGATE -- remove an aggregate function
DROP CAST -- remove a cast
DROP CONVERSION -- remove a conversion
DROP DATABASE -- remove a database
DROP DOMAIN -- remove a domain
DROP FUNCTION -- remove a function
DROP GROUP -- remove a database role
DROP INDEX -- remove an index
DROP LANGUAGE -- remove a procedural language
DROP OPERATOR -- remove an operator
DROP OPERATOR CLASS -- remove an operator class
DROP ROLE -- remove a database role
DROP RULE -- remove a rewrite rule
DROP SCHEMA -- remove a schema
DROP SEQUENCE -- remove a sequence
DROP TABLE -- remove a table
DROP TABLESPACE -- remove a tablespace
DROP TRIGGER -- remove a trigger
DROP TYPE -- remove a data type
DROP USER -- remove a database role
DROP VIEW -- remove a view
END -- commit the current transaction
EXECUTE -- execute a prepared statement
EXPLAIN -- show the execution plan of a statement
FETCH -- retrieve rows from a query using a cursor
GRANT -- define access privileges
INSERT -- create new rows in a table
LISTEN -- listen for a notification
LOAD -- load or reload a shared library file
LOCK -- lock a table
MOVE -- position a cursor
NOTIFY -- generate a notification
PREPARE -- prepare a statement for execution
PREPARE TRANSACTION -- prepare the current transaction for two-phase commit
REINDEX -- rebuild indexes
RELEASE SAVEPOINT -- destroy a previously defined savepoint
RESET -- restore the value of a run-time parameter to the default value
REVOKE -- remove access privileges
ROLLBACK -- abort the current transaction
ROLLBACK PREPARED -- cancel a transaction that was earlier prepared for two-phase commit
ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT -- roll back to a savepoint
SAVEPOINT -- define a new savepoint within the current transaction
SELECT -- retrieve rows from a table or view
SELECT INTO -- define a new table from the results of a query
SET -- change a run-time parameter
SET CONSTRAINTS -- set constraint checking modes for the current transaction
SET ROLE -- set the current user identifier of the current session
SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION -- set the session user identifier and the current user identifier of the current session
SET TRANSACTION -- set the characteristics of the current transaction
SHOW -- show the value of a run-time parameter
START TRANSACTION -- start a transaction block
TRUNCATE -- empty a table or set of tables
UNLISTEN -- stop listening for a notification
UPDATE -- update rows of a table
VACUUM -- garbage-collect and optionally analyze a database

II. PostgreSQL Client Applications

clusterdb -- cluster a PostgreSQL database
createdb -- create a new PostgreSQL database
createlang -- define a new PostgreSQL procedural language
createuser -- define a new PostgreSQL user account
dropdb -- remove a PostgreSQL database
droplang -- remove a PostgreSQL procedural language
dropuser -- remove a PostgreSQL user account
ecpg -- embedded SQL C preprocessor
pg_config -- retrieve information about the installed version of PostgreSQL
pg_dump -- extract a PostgreSQL database into a script file or other archive file
pg_dumpall -- extract a PostgreSQL database cluster into a script file
pg_restore -- restore a PostgreSQL database from an archive file created by pg_dump
psql -- PostgreSQL interactive terminal
reindexdb -- reindex a PostgreSQL database
vacuumdb -- garbage-collect and analyze a PostgreSQL database

III. PostgreSQL Server Applications

initdb -- create a new PostgreSQL database cluster
ipcclean -- remove shared memory and semaphores from a failed PostgreSQL server
pg_controldata -- display control information of a PostgreSQL database cluster
pg_ctl -- start, stop, or restart a PostgreSQL server
pg_resetxlog -- reset the write-ahead log and other control information of a PostgreSQL database cluster
postgres -- run a PostgreSQL server in single-user mode
postmaster -- PostgreSQL multiuser database server

Report a documentation issue

Read the upstream documentation. For corrections, first check the current manual.