createuser(1)

NAME

       createuser - define a new PostgreSQL user account

SYNOPSIS

       createuser [ option... ] [ username ]

DESCRIPTION

       createuser  creates a new PostgreSQL user.  Only superusers (users with
       usesuper set in the pg_shadow table) can create new  PostgreSQL  users,
       so  createuser  must  be  invoked by someone who can connect as a Post-
       greSQL superuser.

       Being a superuser also implies the ability to bypass access  permission
       checks  within  the  database,  so  superuserdom  should not be granted
       lightly.

       createuser is a wrapper  around  the  SQL  command  CREATE  USER  [cre-
       ate_user(l)].   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 unique among all PostgreSQL users.

       -a

       --adduser
              The new user is allowed to create other users.  (Note: Actually,
              this makes the new user  a  superuser.   The  option  is  poorly
              named.)

       -A

       --no-adduser
              The new user is not allowed to create other users (i.e., the new
              user is a regular user, not a superuser).  This is the  default.

       -d

       --createdb
              The new user is allowed to create databases.

       -D

       --no-createdb
              The  new  user  is not 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 number

       --sysid number
              Allows you to pick a non-default user ID for the new user.  This
              is not necessary, but some people like it.

       -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.

       -q

       --quiet
              Do not display a response.

       You will be prompted for a name and other missing information if it  is
       not specified on the command line.

       createuser  also  accepts the following command-line arguments for con-
       nection 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  exten-
              sion on which the server is listening for connections.

       -U username

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

       -W

       --password
              Force  password  prompt  (to  connect to the server, not for the
              password of the new user).

ENVIRONMENT

       PGHOST

       PGPORT

       PGUSER Default connection parameters

DIAGNOSTICS

       In case of difficulty, see CREATE USER [create_user(l)] and psql(1) for
       discussions  of  potential  problems  and error messages.  The database
       server must be running at the targeted host. Also, any default  connec-
       tion  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
       Is the new user allowed to create databases? (y/n) n
       Shall the new user be allowed to create more new users? (y/n) n
       CREATE USER

       To create the same user joe using the server on host eden,  port  5000,
       avoiding the prompts and taking a look at the underlying command:

       $ createuser -p 5000 -h eden -D -A -e joe
       CREATE USER "joe" NOCREATEDB NOCREATEUSER
       CREATE USER

SEE ALSO

       dropuser(1), CREATE USER [create_user(l)]

Application                       2003-11-02                     CREATEUSER(1)