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This article describes how to connect to a PostgreSQL database from the command line using the psql program. You can use the psql program as a quick and easy way to access your databases directly. psql is an interactive terminal that allows you to run PostgreSQL queries and examine the results. psql also has a number of meta-commands and shell-like capabilities that make building scripts and automating a range of activities easier.

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Connecting to PostgreSQL using psql

To connect to PostgreSQL from the command line, follow these steps:
  1. Log in to your account using SSH.
  2. At the command line, type the following command. Replace dbname with the name of the database, and username with the database 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.

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