Installing PostgreSQL on Different Platforms

PostgreSQL can be installed on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Below are the installation steps for each.

1. Install PostgreSQL on Windows

Using the PostgreSQL Installer (Recommended)

1. Download the official installer from PostgreSQL Downloads.
2. Run the installer and follow the setup instructions.
3. Choose components:
   • PostgreSQL Server
   • pgAdmin 4 (for GUI management)
   • Command Line Tools
4. Set a password for the postgres user.
5. Choose a port (default is 5432).
6. Finish the installation and start the service.

Verify Installation

Open pgAdmin 4 or use the command line:

psql -U postgres

(Enter the password you set during installation)

2. Install PostgreSQL on Linux

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt updatesudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib

CentOS/RHEL

sudo dnf install -y postgresql-server postgresql-contribsudo postgresql-setup --initdbsudo systemctl enable postgresqlsudo systemctl start postgresql

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S postgresqlsudo -u postgres initdb --locale en_US.UTF-8 -D /var/lib/postgres/datasudo systemctl start postgresqlsudo systemctl enable postgresql

Verify Installation

sudo systemctl status postgresqlpsql -U postgres

3. Install PostgreSQL on macOS

Using Homebrew (Recommended)

brew updatebrew install postgresqlbrew services start postgresql

Verify Installation

psql -U postgres

4. Install PostgreSQL Using Docker

If you prefer running PostgreSQL in a Docker container, use the following command:

docker run --name my_postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword -p 5432:5432 -d postgres

Connect to PostgreSQL in Docker

docker exec -it my_postgres psql -U postgres

Post-Installation Setup

Create a New User & Database

CREATE DATABASE mydb;CREATE USER myuser WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'mypassword';GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE mydb TO myuser;

Allow Remote Connections (Optional)

1. Edit postgresql.conf

   sudo nano /etc/postgresql/15/main/postgresql.conf
   

   Change:

   listen_addresses = '*'
   

2. Edit pg_hba.conf

   sudo nano /etc/postgresql/15/main/pg_hba.conf
   

   Add:

   host all all 0.0.0.0/0 md5
   

3. Restart PostgreSQL:

   sudo systemctl restart postgresql
   

Summary

✅ Windows: Install via official installer
✅ Linux: Install via apt (Ubuntu) or dnf (CentOS)
✅ macOS: Install via brew install postgresql
✅ Docker: Run docker run -d -p 5432:5432 postgres