Postgres Notes

Changing runtime parameters in Postgres

There are several ways to change runtime parameters in Postgres.

1. Using the SET command

   The SET command changes the value of a configuration parameter for the duration of the current session or transaction. These changes do not persist after the session or transaction ends.

   For example:

   sql

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   SET parameter_name = 'value';

2. Using the ALTER SYSTEM command

   This command is used to change the value of a configuration parameter in the postgresql.auto.conf file. This file is read at server start-up and after the main postgresql.conf file. Changes made with ALTER SYSTEM are applied globally and persist across server restarts.

   Example:

   sql

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   ALTER SYSTEM SET parameter_name TO 'value';

3. Modifying the postgresql.conf file directly

   You can directly edit the postgresql.conf file to change the default values of parameters. After editing, you usually need to reload the PostgreSQL server for the changes to take effect (a full restart is not always necessary, depending on the parameter).

   To reload the configuration, after modifying postgres.conf, use:

   sql

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   SELECT pg_reload_conf();