Installing PostgreSQL on Arch Linux | Practical Setup Guide

Ishan Jarwal Posted on May 30 Installing PostgreSQL on Arch Linux | Practical Setup Guide # postgressql # archlinux # tutorial Installing postgres on windows/mac is pretty simple, you just follow the steps on the installation wizard and you get it working. You will also find lots of video tutorials and blogs regarding installation in windows/mac. But when it comes to linux (specifically arch), things get interesting. Since linux gives you more control, setting up anything on it can seem tricky at first glance but as you go through, you understand each and every step and its purpose. Before getting into it, understand this : Postgres is not like MongoDB which you initialize once through the CLI by providing the --dbpath flag, it is a system service. Meaning it will run on the system 24x7 (if we configure it that way) and different system users will be able to use it according to the access they have been granted. First things first : Installation Always update the packages first : sudo pacman -Syu Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Install PostgreSQL: sudo pacman -S postgresql Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Lets initialize a Database Cluster PostgreSQL requires a data directory initialization. This is the directory which holds the actual data (one-time step unlike MongoDB) : sudo -u postgres initdb -D /var/lib/postgres/data Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Flags explained -u postgres → run command as postgres system user initdb → creates system tables & internal structure -D → data directory location Start & Enable Service Start server: sudo systemctl start postgresql Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Enable on every boot : sudo systemctl enable postgresql Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Check status: systemctl status postgresql Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Enter psql Shell What is psql ? It is a command line interface to interact with out postgres service, databases, relations etc. Lets enter th