Wiki / Configuration Parameters

The local shell command to execute to archive a completed WAL file segment. Any %p in the string is replaced by the path name of the file to archive, and any %f is replaced by only the file name. (The path name is relative to the working directory of the server, i.e., the cluster's data directory.) Use %% to embed an actual % character in the command. It is important for the command to return a zero exit status only if it succeeds. For more information see Section 25.3.1. This parameter can only be set in the postgresql.conf file or on the server command line. It is only used if archive_mode was enabled at server start and archive_library is set to an empty string. If both archive_command and archive_library are set, an error will be raised. If archive_command is an empty string (the default) while archive_mode is enabled (and archive_library is set to an empty string), WAL archiving is temporarily disabled, but the server continues to accumulate WAL segment files in the expectation that a command will soon be provided. Setting archive_command to a command that does nothing but return true, e.g., /bin/true (REM on Windows), effectively disables archiving, but also breaks the chain of WAL files needed for archive recovery, so it should only be used in unusual circumstances.

English manual coverage begins with PostgreSQL 7.4. Source history and runtime observations have their own recorded version boundaries.

boot val

Unknown

category

Write-Ahead Log / Archiving

context

sighup

documented

true

enumvals

Unknown

extra desc

An empty string means use "archive_library".

lang

en

max val

Unknown

metadata version

18

min val

Unknown

name

archive_command

short desc

Sets the shell command that will be called to archive a WAL file.

source

pg-settings-source-snapshot

unit

Unknown

vartype

string