Resetting 'postgres' user password in Postgresql 8.4 on Ubuntu10.10

Question

I am attempting a postgresql tutorial and cannot login to the 'postgres' user account which seems to be necessary to perform any actions. When I went through the installation I thought I wrote down the password but apparently not. Is there a way for me to reset the password or do I need to reinstall? Thanks for any advice.

Kromey · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-01 18:34:49Z

14

sudo passwd postgres will let you do it.

Alternatively, sudo su - postgres will let you log in to the postgres user's account without the password at all (you'll be asked for your password to use sudo, naturally).

answered Apr 1, 2011 at 18:34

Kromey

1,2121 gold badge10 silver badges13 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

thesteve Over a year ago

Thanks man, worked like a charm. So is the 'postgres' user just a regular system user set to the root user for postgresql? thanks again

Kromey Over a year ago

The 'postgres' user is indeed a regular system user which runs the postgresql daemon. By default, Postgres uses the system for access control, with the 'postgres' user itself being effectively root for the database server. So, yes, when you log into your computer as 'postgres' (or su), you can then connect directly to the database server with full root-level access.

thesteve Over a year ago

Thanks again, I am still learning and having it all explained simply like that is a huge help.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Resetting 'postgres' user password in Postgresql 8.4 on Ubuntu10.10

1 Answer 1

3 Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

3 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related