PostgreSQL is a feature-rich, general-purpose, database-management system. It's a complex piece of software, but every journey begins with the first step.
We'll start with your first connection. Many people fall at the first hurdle, so we'll try not to skip that too swiftly. We'll quickly move on to enabling remote users, and from there we will move on to getting access through GUI administration tools.
We will also introduce the psql query tool, which is the tool used to load our sample database, as well as many other examples in the book.
For additional help, we've included a few useful recipes that you may need for reference.
In this chapter, we will cover the following recipes:
- Getting PostgreSQL
- Connecting to the PostgreSQL server
- Enabling access for network/remote users
- Using graphical administration tools
- Using the psql query and scripting tool
- Changing your password securely
- Avoiding hardcoding your password
- Using a connection service file
- Troubleshooting a failed connection