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PG_PASSWD(1)


NAME

  pg_passwd - change a secondary PostgreSQL password file


SYNOPSIS

  pg_passwd filename


DESCRIPTION

  pg_passwd is a tool for manipulating flat text password files. These files
  can control client authentication of the PostgreSQL server. More
  information about setting up this authentication mechanism can be found in
  the Administrator's Guide.

  The format of a text password file is one entry per line; the fields of
  each entry are separated by colons. The first field is the user name, the
  second field is the encrypted password. Other fields are ignored (to allow
  password files to be shared between applications that use similar formats).
  pg_passwd enables users to interactively add entries to such a file, to
  alter passwords of existing entries, and to encrypt such passwords.

  Supply the name of the password file as argument to the pg_passwd command.
  To be used by PostgreSQL, the file needs to be located in the server's data
  directory, and the base name of the file needs to be specified in the
  pg_hba.conf access control file.

  $ pg_passwd /usr/local/pgsql/data/passwords
  File "/usr/local/pgsql/data/passwords" does not exist.  Create? (y/n): y
  Username: guest
  Password:
  Re-enter password:

  where the Password: and Re-enter password: prompts require the same
  password input which is not displayed on the terminal. Note that the
  password is limited to eight useful characters by restrictions of the
  standard crypt(3) library routine.

  The original password file is renamed to passwords.bk.

  To make use of this password file, put a line like the following in
  pg_hba.conf:

  host	mydb	 133.65.96.250	 255.255.255.255 password passwords

  which would allow access to database mydb from host 133.65.96.250 using the
  passwords listed in the passwords file (and only to the users listed in
  that file).

       Note: It is also useful to have entries in a password file with empty
       password fields. (This is different from an empty password.) Such
       entries allow you to restrict users who can access the system. These
       entries cannot be managed by pg_passwd, but you can edit password
       files manually.


SEE ALSO

  PostgreSQL Administrator's Guide

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