ALTER USER

change a database role

English manual coverage begins with PostgreSQL 6.4. Source history and runtime observations have their own recorded version boundaries.

Reading PG 18·Select a recorded version

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anchor: SQL-ALTERUSER
file: sql-alteruser.html
lang: en
name: ALTER USER
purpose: change a database role
purpose zh: 更改数据库角色
sections same as: Unknown
slug: 18

Syntax

ALTER USER role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]

where option can be:

SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
| CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
| CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
| INHERIT | NOINHERIT
| LOGIN | NOLOGIN
| REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
| BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
| CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
| [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
| VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'

ALTER USER name RENAME TO new_name

ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL

where role_specification can be:
role_name
| CURRENT_ROLE
| CURRENT_USER
| SESSION_USER

Syntax diagrams

Read left to right. Branches are choices, bypasses are optional, loops repeat. Select an underlined parameter to open its rule.

option

ALTER USER · Syntax 2

ALTER USER · Syntax 3

ALTER USER · Syntax 4

ALTER USER · Syntax 5

ALTER USER · Syntax 6

role_specification

Definition PG 18

ALTER USER role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]

where option can be:

SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
| CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
| CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
| INHERIT | NOINHERIT
| LOGIN | NOLOGIN
| REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
| BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
| CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
| [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
| VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'

ALTER USER name RENAME TO new_name

ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL

where role_specification can be:
role_name
| CURRENT_ROLE
| CURRENT_USER
| SESSION_USER

Description

ALTER USER is now an alias for ALTER ROLE.

Compatibility

The ALTER USER statement is a PostgreSQL extension. The SQL standard leaves the definition of users to the implementation.

Compare versions

Complete source facts

synopsis html

ALTER USER <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> [ WITH ] <em class="replaceable"><code>option</code></em> [ ... ]

<span class="phrase">where <em class="replaceable"><code>option</code></em> can be:</span>

      SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
    | CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
    | CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
    | INHERIT | NOINHERIT
    | LOGIN | NOLOGIN
    | REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
    | BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
    | CONNECTION LIMIT <em class="replaceable"><code>connlimit</code></em>
    | [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD '<em class="replaceable"><code>password</code></em>' | PASSWORD NULL
    | VALID UNTIL '<em class="replaceable"><code>timestamp</code></em>'

ALTER USER <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em> RENAME TO <em class="replaceable"><code>new_name</code></em>

ALTER USER { <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> | ALL } [ IN DATABASE <em class="replaceable"><code>database_name</code></em> ] SET <em class="replaceable"><code>configuration_parameter</code></em> { TO | = } { <em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em> | DEFAULT }
ALTER USER { <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> | ALL } [ IN DATABASE <em class="replaceable"><code>database_name</code></em> ] SET <em class="replaceable"><code>configuration_parameter</code></em> FROM CURRENT
ALTER USER { <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> | ALL } [ IN DATABASE <em class="replaceable"><code>database_name</code></em> ] RESET <em class="replaceable"><code>configuration_parameter</code></em>
ALTER USER { <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> | ALL } [ IN DATABASE <em class="replaceable"><code>database_name</code></em> ] RESET ALL

<span class="phrase">where <em class="replaceable"><code>role_specification</code></em> can be:</span>

    <em class="replaceable"><code>role_name</code></em>
  | CURRENT_ROLE
  | CURRENT_USER
  | SESSION_USER

synopsis text

ALTER USER role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]

where option can be:

SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
| CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
| CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
| INHERIT | NOINHERIT
| LOGIN | NOLOGIN
| REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
| BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
| CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
| [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
| VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'

ALTER USER name RENAME TO new_name

ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
ALTER USER { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL

where role_specification can be:
role_name
| CURRENT_ROLE
| CURRENT_USER
| SESSION_USER

Source references

Full definition and evidence JSON

Definition sources

center · PostgreSQL 18 · wiki-repair-20261023:795e0d23bc9554f10eb708794afeb91fe950db4073c88a1a55a0832b0760162a

Text language: en · wiki-repair-20261023:795e0d23bc9554f10eb708794afeb91fe950db4073c88a1a55a0832b0760162a