NAME

       createuser - define a new PostgreSQL user account

SYNOPSIS

       createuser [connection-option...] [option...] [username]

DESCRIPTION

       createuser creates a new PostgreSQL user (or more precisely, a role). Only superusers and
       users with CREATEROLE privilege can create new users, so createuser must be invoked by
       someone who can connect as a superuser or a user with CREATEROLE privilege.

       If you wish to create a new superuser, you must connect as a superuser, not merely with
       CREATEROLE privilege. Being a superuser implies the ability to bypass all access
       permission checks within the database, so superuserdom should not be granted lightly.

       createuser is a wrapper around the SQL command CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)). There is no
       effective difference between creating users via this utility and via other methods for
       accessing the server.

OPTIONS

       createuser accepts the following command-line arguments:

       username
           Specifies the name of the PostgreSQL user to be created. This name must be different
           from all existing roles in this PostgreSQL installation.

       -c number, --connection-limit=number
           Set a maximum number of connections for the new user. The default is to set no limit.

       -d, --createdb
           The new user will be allowed to create databases.

       -D, --no-createdb
           The new user will not be allowed to create databases. This is the default.

       -e, --echo
           Echo the commands that createuser generates and sends to the server.

       -E, --encrypted
           Encrypts the user's password stored in the database. If not specified, the default
           password behavior is used.

       -i, --inherit
           The new role will automatically inherit privileges of roles it is a member of. This is
           the default.

       -I, --no-inherit
           The new role will not automatically inherit privileges of roles it is a member of.

       --interactive
           Prompt for the user name if none is specified on the command line, and also prompt for
           whichever of the options -d/-D, -r/-R, -s/-S is not specified on the command line.
           (This was the default behavior up to PostgreSQL 9.1.)

       -l, --login
           The new user will be allowed to log in (that is, the user name can be used as the
           initial session user identifier). This is the default.

       -L, --no-login
           The new user will not be allowed to log in. (A role without login privilege is still
           useful as a means of managing database permissions.)

       -N, --unencrypted
           Does not encrypt the user's password stored in the database. If not specified, the
           default password behavior is used.

       -P, --pwprompt
           If given, createuser will issue a prompt for the password of the new user. This is not
           necessary if you do not plan on using password authentication.

       -r, --createrole
           The new user will be allowed to create new roles (that is, this user will have
           CREATEROLE privilege).

       -R, --no-createrole
           The new user will not be allowed to create new roles. This is the default.

       -s, --superuser
           The new user will be a superuser.

       -S, --no-superuser
           The new user will not be a superuser. This is the default.

       -V, --version
           Print the createuser version and exit.

       --replication
           The new user will have the REPLICATION privilege, which is described more fully in the
           documentation for CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)).

       --no-replication
           The new user will not have the REPLICATION privilege, which is described more fully in
           the documentation for CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)).

       -?, --help
           Show help about createuser command line arguments, and exit.

       createuser also accepts the following command-line arguments for connection parameters:

       -h host, --host=host
           Specifies the host name of the machine on which the server is running. If the value
           begins with a slash, it is used as the directory for the Unix domain socket.

       -p port, --port=port
           Specifies the TCP port or local Unix domain socket file extension on which the server
           is listening for connections.

       -U username, --username=username
           User name to connect as (not the user name to create).

       -w, --no-password
           Never issue a password prompt. If the server requires password authentication and a
           password is not available by other means such as a .pgpass file, the connection
           attempt will fail. This option can be useful in batch jobs and scripts where no user
           is present to enter a password.

       -W, --password
           Force createuser to prompt for a password (for connecting to the server, not for the
           password of the new user).

           This option is never essential, since createuser will automatically prompt for a
           password if the server demands password authentication. However, createuser will waste
           a connection attempt finding out that the server wants a password. In some cases it is
           worth typing -W to avoid the extra connection attempt.

ENVIRONMENT

       PGHOST, PGPORT, PGUSER
           Default connection parameters

       This utility, like most other PostgreSQL utilities, also uses the environment variables
       supported by libpq (see Section 31.14, “Environment Variables”, in the documentation).

DIAGNOSTICS

       In case of difficulty, see CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)) and psql(1) for discussions of
       potential problems and error messages. The database server must be running at the targeted
       host. Also, any default connection settings and environment variables used by the libpq
       front-end library will apply.

EXAMPLES

       To create a user joe on the default database server:

           $ createuser joe

       To create a user joe on the default database server with prompting for some additional
       attributes:

           $ createuser --interactive joe
           Shall the new role be a superuser? (y/n) n
           Shall the new role be allowed to create databases? (y/n) n
           Shall the new role be allowed to create more new roles? (y/n) n

       To create the same user joe using the server on host eden, port 5000, with attributes
       explicitly specified, taking a look at the underlying command:

           $ createuser -h eden -p 5000 -S -D -R -e joe
           CREATE ROLE joe NOSUPERUSER NOCREATEDB NOCREATEROLE INHERIT LOGIN;

       To create the user joe as a superuser, and assign a password immediately:

           $ createuser -P -s -e joe
           Enter password for new role: xyzzy
           Enter it again: xyzzy
           CREATE ROLE joe PASSWORD 'md5b5f5ba1a423792b526f799ae4eb3d59e' SUPERUSER CREATEDB CREATEROLE INHERIT LOGIN;

       In the above example, the new password isn't actually echoed when typed, but we show what
       was typed for clarity. As you see, the password is encrypted before it is sent to the
       client. If the option --unencrypted is used, the password will appear in the echoed
       command (and possibly also in the server log and elsewhere), so you don't want to use -e
       in that case, if anyone else can see your screen.

SEE ALSO

       dropuser(1), CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7))