GUC Parameters / Preset Options
server_version
Read the PG 18 manualReports the version number of the server.
Reading PG 18current·documented in 23 of 24 versions, 8.0 to 20
- Type
- string
- Context
- internal
- Measured default
- 18.6 (Debian 18.6-1.pgdg13+2)
- Unit
- —
- Metadata snapshot
- 18
Definition PG 18 manual
Reports the version number of the server. It is determined by the value of PG_VERSION when building the server.
Measured default history
| Version interval | Default |
|---|---|
| 9.0 – 9.0 | 9.0.23 |
| 9.1 – 9.1 | 9.1.24 |
| 9.2 – 9.2 | 9.2.23 |
| 9.3 – 9.3 | 9.3.25 |
| 9.4 – 9.4 | 9.4.26 |
| 9.5 – 9.5 | 9.5.25 |
| 9.6 – 9.6 | 9.6.24 |
| 10 – 10 | 10.23 (Debian 10.23-1.pgdg110+1) |
| 11 – 11 | 11.22 (Debian 11.22-1.pgdg120+1) |
| 12 – 12 | 12.22 (Debian 12.22-1.pgdg120+1) |
| 13 – 13 | 13.23 (Debian 13.23-1.pgdg13+1) |
| 14 – 14 | 14.24 (Debian 14.24-1.pgdg13+2) |
| 15 – 15 | 15.19 (Debian 15.19-1.pgdg13+2) |
| 16 – 16 | 16.15 (Debian 16.15-1.pgdg13+2) |
| 17 – 17 | 17.11 (Debian 17.11-1.pgdg13+2) |
| 18 – 18 | 18.6 (Debian 18.6-1.pgdg13+2) |
| 19 – 19 | 19beta4 (Debian 19~beta4-1.pgdg13+1) |
Authored guidance from the GUC source snapshot; the version-specific manual above is the definition reference. View source
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.
Version history 18
Related entries
Further reading
Definition snapshot: english-manuals:f9670d104c5d03a6a9eaa1ac578… · English manual source