insert sample data into a postgresql in docker container not working [closed]

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I am running a postgresql in docker container and trying to insert some sample data into this database.

prepare_source_data.sql exists in the host environment.

here I tried

docker exec -it postgres bash psql "postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost/test"  -f ./prepare_source_data.sql

but got some errors

/usr/bin/psql: line 19: use: command not found
/usr/bin/psql: line 20: use: command not found
/usr/bin/psql: line 21: use: command not found
/usr/bin/psql: line 22: use: command not found
/usr/bin/psql: psql: line 24: syntax error near unexpected token `$version,'
/usr/bin/psql: psql: line 24: `my ($version, $cluster);'

However executing the commands work well

  docker exec -it postgres bash and then psql -U postgres

any idea how would I insert the data into the container in the host environment

The error message, syntax error near unexpected token ``$version,' is pretty clear. psql is not accepting $version, which is understandable as there is nothing here psql that says it does. The closest you get is $1, etc with bind. You will need to show what is in prepare_source_data.sql and also give some explanation of what you expect the script to do. — Adrian Klaver
– Adrian Klaver, Commented Nov 25 at 6:12
The SQL script that you are trying to run is not SQL - or some other SQL dialect. You'll have to rewrite it to PostgreSQL's SQL syntax. — Laurenz Albe
– Laurenz Albe, Commented Nov 25 at 7:33
You shouldn't need the docker exec debugging tool at all for this. Use the psql client directly from your host system, targeting the first docker run -p or Compose ports: number you used when you started the database container. This also saves you the trouble of copying the file into the container. — David Maze
– David Maze, Commented Nov 25 at 11:02

mariya cherian · Accepted Answer · 2025-11-25 08:56:50Z

1

docker exec -it postgres bash psql "postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost/test" -f ./prepare_source_data.sql

This execute inside the bash.everything after the bash is passed as arguement to bash not a command so bash get postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost/test -f ./prepare_source_data.sql

This may cause the syntax error

docker exec -i postgres psql "postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost/test" < ./prepare_source_data.sql

This execute inside the psql

docker exec -it --The docker exec command runs a new command in a running container.'<' is a shell redirection operator this will tells to take the contents of the file

if the sql file is inside the container you can use

psql -U postgres -f /prepare_source_data.sql

answered Nov 25 at 8:56

mariya cherian

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