{"id":107518,"date":"2025-08-04T13:14:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T13:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/?p=107518"},"modified":"2025-08-04T13:14:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T13:14:07","slug":"using-the-psql-command-line-utility-to-work-with-azure-database-for-postgresql-flexible-server","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/databases\/postgresql\/using-the-psql-command-line-utility-to-work-with-azure-database-for-postgresql-flexible-server\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the\u00a0psql\u00a0Command-Line Tool with Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A number of client tools are available for working with Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server<\/a>. With these tools, you can connect to your ADP instance, manage the environment, and define your database structures. You can also query, update and delete data within those databases. Two of the most popular tools for working with PostgreSQL<\/a> are the psql command-line utility<\/a> and the pgAdmin<\/a> GUI management tool, both of which are available for free on multiple platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I introduce you to psql and show you how to connect to and work with your ADP instance. This article is the second in a series on ADP flexible server: in the first article<\/a>, I introduced you to ADP and provided information to help you get started with your own ADP instance, and in part three<\/a> l introduce you to pgAdmin, so you know how to use both that and<\/em> psql.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a foundation in these two tools will make it easier to understand the different concepts I introduce in these articles, so you can immediately start using the tools to interface with your ADP instance. This foundation will also help you down the road when working with production PostgreSQL deployments, and if you need to carry out administrative tasks or access the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all that in mind, let\u2019s start diving into the psql utility. It provides a client interface for working with PostgreSQL from your local command shell<\/a> environment. You can use psql in interactive mode, which enables you to run SQL statements or other commands interactively. You can also use psql without entering interactive mode to carry out one-off tasks such as running scripts or querying a database. You\u2019ll get a better sense of how all this works as we work through the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: to follow along with the examples in this article, you need to have a running ADP instance and know the necessary connection information, including the full endpoint name, port number, user name, password, and target database. If you haven\u2019t set up ADP yet, refer to the first article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to install psql on your system<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Before you can use psql, it must be installed on your system. The utility is typically included with a PostgreSQL installation, so if you\u2019ve set up PostgreSQL, you\u2019re probably all set. You should be able to run psql in your system\u2019s command-line interface (CLI)<\/a>, such as Terminal in macOS or Ubuntu. You can verify whether psql is installed by executing the following command at the CLI command prompt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

psql --version<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
If psql is installed, the command will return the version number. If it is not installed, the command will return a message indicating so. The message might even suggest how to install it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can install psql on macOS, Linux and Windows computers. However, the installation process varies between platforms. A platform might also support multiple installation methods. You might have to do some digging to find information specific to your environment. We have this article<\/a> here on Simple Talk, and I also recommend this article<\/a> from Timescale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I installed psql on macOS, Ubuntu and Windows systems. On my Mac, I installed the PostgreSQL libpq library<\/a>, which includes the psql utility. The library is one of the components included in the PostgreSQL database platform. Because I did not need the entire platform, I installed only the libpq library by running the following Homebrew<\/a> command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
brew install libpq<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
After I installed the libpq library on my Mac, I ran the following brew command to create a symlink to the library\u2019s binaries so I could easily run the psql utility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
brew link --force libpq<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
I took a similar approach on Ubuntu, except that I used the apt package manager to install the postgresql-client client library, which contains psql and other tools. The following sudo command shows how I installed the library on Ubuntu:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install postgresql-client<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
With Windows, I took a much different approach. First, I downloaded the PostgreSQL installer certified by EDB<\/a> and then ran the installer\u2019s Setup<\/strong> wizard. When I got to the wizard\u2019s Select Components<\/strong> screen, I selected only the Command Line Tools<\/strong> option, as shown in the following figure. (I choose not to install any of the other components).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
For the rest of the wizard, I stuck with the default settings. You can find more information about installing the Windows-based client tools in the PostgreSQL topic Windows installers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connecting to Azure Database for PostgreSQL with psql<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
After you install psql, you can start using it to work with your ADP instance. Before you do that, be sure that the instance is running and you\u2019ve added your local IP address to the networking settings (as described in the first article<\/a>). You can also use psql to connect to other PostgreSQL deployments, but for now, our concern is primarily with ADP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you connect to an ADP instance, you must provide the following connection information:<\/p>\n\n\n
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