> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing PostgreSQL databases and users from the command line

> Find out how to manage PostgreSQL databases and users from the command line with this guide featuring relevant code snippets and step-by-step instructions.

This article describes how to add and delete PostgreSQL databases and users from the command line.

<Warning>
  **Important**

  If your account includes cPanel, you must use it instead to manage PostgreSQL databases and users; you cannot do this from the command line. For information about how to manage PostgreSQL databases and users in cPanel, please see [this article](/docs/managing-postgresql-databases).
</Warning>

## Creating PostgreSQL users

A default PostgresSQL installation always includes the *postgres* superuser. Initially, you must connect to PostgreSQL as the *postgres* user until you create other users (which are also referred to as *roles* ).

To create a PostgreSQL user, follow these steps:

1. At the command line, type the following command as the server's **root** user:

   ```bash theme={null}
   su - postgres
   ```

2. You can now run commands as the PostgreSQL superuser. To create a user, type the following command:

   ```bash theme={null}
   createuser --interactive --pwprompt
   ```

3. At the **Enter name of role to add:** prompt, type the user's name.

4. At the **Enter password for new role:** prompt, type a password for the user.

5. At the **Enter it again:** prompt, retype the password.

6. At the **Shall the new role be a superuser?** prompt, type `y` if you want to grant superuser access. Otherwise, type `n`.

7. At the **Shall the new role be allowed to create databases?** prompt, type `y` if you want to allow the user to create new databases. Otherwise, type `n`.

8. At the **Shall the new role be allowed to create more new roles?** prompt, type `y` if you want to allow the user to create new users. Otherwise, type `n`.

9. PostgreSQL creates the user with the settings you specified.

## Creating PostgreSQL databases

To create a PostgreSQL database, follow these steps:

1. At the command line, type the following command as the server's **root** user:

   ```bash theme={null}
   su - postgres
   ```

2. You can now run commands as the PostgreSQL superuser. To create a database, type the following command. Replace *user* with the name of the user that you want to own the database, and replace *dbname* with the name of the database that you want to create:

   ```bash theme={null}
   createdb -O user dbname
   ```

   > 👍 Tip
   >
   > PostgreSQL users that have permission to create databases can do so from their own accounts by typing the following command, where *dbname* is the name of the database to create:
   >
   > ```bash theme={null}
   > createdb dbname
   > ```

## Adding an existing user to a database

To grant an existing user privileges to a database, follow these steps:

1. Run the *psql* program as the database's owner, or as the *postgres* superuser.

2. Type the following command. Replace *permissions* with the permissions you want to grant, *dbname* with the name of the database, and *username* with the user:

   ```bash theme={null}
   GRANT permissions ON DATABASE dbname TO username;
   ```

   > 📘 Note
   >
   > For detailed information about the access privileges that are available in PostgreSQL, please visit [http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/sql-grant.html](http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/sql-grant.html).

3. The user can now access the database with the specified permissions.

## Deleting PostgreSQL databases

Similar to the *createdb* command for creating databases, there is the *dropdb* command for deleting databases. To delete a database, you must be the owner or have superuser privileges.

Type the following command, replacing *dbname* with the name of the database that you want to delete:

```bash theme={null}
dropdb dbname
```

<Warning>
  **️ Warning**

  The *dropdb* program does not ask for confirmation before deleting a database. As soon as you press Enter, PostgreSQL deletes the database and all of the data it contains.
</Warning>

## Deleting PostgreSQL users

Similar to the *createuser* command for creating users, there is the *dropuser* command for deleting users.

To delete a specific user, type the following command. Replace *username* with the name of the user that you want to delete:

```bash theme={null}
dropuser username
```

<Warning>
  **Important**

  If the user owns any databases or other objects, you cannot drop the user. Instead, you receive an error message similar to the following:

  ```
  dropuser: removal of role "username" failed: ERROR:  role "username" cannot be dropped because some objects depend on it
  DETAIL:  owner of database dbname
  ```

  You should change the database's owner (or drop the database entirely), and then you can drop the user.
</Warning>

## More information

To view the official PostgreSQL documentation, please visit [http://www.postgresql.org/docs](http://www.postgresql.org/docs).

## Related articles

* [Connecting to PostgreSQL using psql](/docs/connect-to-postgresql-from-the-command-line)