Postgres Command Line Connection from shell

This article describes how to connect to a PostgreSQL database from the shell using the psql program.
You can use the psql program as a quick and easy way to access your databases directly.


PSQL Commands: Connect to PostgreSQL from shell

To connect to PostgreSQL cli:

1. login to the server with SSH where the postgres database is located.


2. At the shell, type the following command. Replace DBNAME with the name of the database, and USERNAME with the database username:
   
   

   psql DBNAME USERNAME



3. At the Password prompt, type the database user's password. When you type the correct password, the psql prompt appears.


4. After you access a PostgreSQL database, you can run SQL queries and more. Here are some common psql commands:


• To view help for psql commands, type \?.
• To view help for SQL commands, type \h.
• To view information about the current database connection, type \conninfo.
• To list the database's tables and their respective owners, type \dt.
• To list all of the tables, views, and sequences in the database, type \z.
• To exit the psql program, type \q.