server_version

Definition PG 18 manual

Reports the version number of the server. It is determined by the value of PG_VERSION when building the server.

How it works

Shows the server version. It is read-only and cannot be changed with SET or configuration-file edits.

It is the human-readable server build/version string and may include vendor packaging text; it is not safe for numeric ordering.

Interpret it with server_version_num, server_encoding, ssl_library. Applications and operations tooling may read server_version for capability or environment detection, but cannot SET it; cross-cluster comparisons must account for build, initdb, and current-database differences.

Operational considerations

Trying to change read-only server_version with SET or a configuration file.

Assuming every cluster, database, or vendor build reports the same value.

Ignoring the value in file-format or feature-compatibility checks.

Treating reported metadata as a performance target instead of an environment fact.

Workload guidance

OLAP: Not tunable. Use server_version to verify format, build, or resource assumptions on analytical nodes and keep every read/write candidate compatible.

OLTP: Not tunable. Record server_version as a deployment/capability fact; if it is unexpected, fix the binary, initdb, or database-creation process rather than trying SET.

SMALL: Not tunable. Preserve it in inventory and incident reports; do not custom-build or rebuild merely to change it without a demonstrated compatibility need.