ALTER ROLE(7) PostgreSQL 17.4 Documentation ALTER ROLE(7)
NAME
ALTER_ROLE - change a database role
SYNOPSIS
ALTER ROLE role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]
where option can be:
SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
| CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
| CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
| INHERIT | NOINHERIT
| LOGIN | NOLOGIN
| REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
| BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
| CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
| [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
| VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
ALTER ROLE name RENAME TO new_name
ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL
where role_specification can be:
role_name
| CURRENT_ROLE
| CURRENT_USER
| SESSION_USER
DESCRIPTION
ALTER ROLE changes the attributes of a PostgreSQL role.
The first variant of this command listed in the synopsis can change
many of the role attributes that can be specified in CREATE ROLE. (All
the possible attributes are covered, except that there are no options
for adding or removing memberships; use GRANT and REVOKE for that.)
Attributes not mentioned in the command retain their previous settings.
Database superusers can change any of these settings for any role,
except for changing the SUPERUSER property for the bootstrap superuser.
Non-superuser roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change most of
these properties, but only for non-superuser and non-replication roles
for which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. Non-superusers cannot
change the SUPERUSER property and can change the CREATEDB, REPLICATION,
and BYPASSRLS properties only if they possess the corresponding
property themselves. Ordinary roles can only change their own password.
The second variant changes the name of the role. Database superusers
can rename any role. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can rename
non-superuser roles for which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. The
current session user cannot be renamed. (Connect as a different user if
you need to do that.) Because MD5-encrypted passwords use the role name
as cryptographic salt, renaming a role clears its password if the
password is MD5-encrypted.
The remaining variants change a role's session default for a
configuration variable, either for all databases or, when the IN
DATABASE clause is specified, only for sessions in the named database.
If ALL is specified instead of a role name, this changes the setting
for all roles. Using ALL with IN DATABASE is effectively the same as
using the command ALTER DATABASE ... SET ....
Whenever the role subsequently starts a new session, the specified
value becomes the session default, overriding whatever setting is
present in postgresql.conf or has been received from the postgres
command line. This only happens at login time; executing SET ROLE or
SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION does not cause new configuration values to be
set. Settings set for all databases are overridden by database-specific
settings attached to a role. Settings for specific databases or
specific roles override settings for all roles.
Superusers can change anyone's session defaults. Roles having
CREATEROLE privilege can change defaults for non-superuser roles for
which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. Ordinary roles can only set
defaults for themselves. Certain configuration variables cannot be set
this way, or can only be set if a superuser issues the command. Only
superusers can change a setting for all roles in all databases.
PARAMETERS
name
The name of the role whose attributes are to be altered.
CURRENT_ROLE
CURRENT_USER
Alter the current user instead of an explicitly identified role.
SESSION_USER
Alter the current session user instead of an explicitly identified
role.
SUPERUSER
NOSUPERUSER
CREATEDB
NOCREATEDB
CREATEROLE
NOCREATEROLE
INHERIT
NOINHERIT
LOGIN
NOLOGIN
REPLICATION
NOREPLICATION
BYPASSRLS
NOBYPASSRLS
CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
[ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password'
PASSWORD NULL
VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
These clauses alter attributes originally set by CREATE ROLE. For
more information, see the CREATE ROLE reference page.
new_name
The new name of the role.
database_name
The name of the database the configuration variable should be set
in.
configuration_parameter
value
Set this role's session default for the specified configuration
parameter to the given value. If value is DEFAULT or, equivalently,
RESET is used, the role-specific variable setting is removed, so
the role will inherit the system-wide default setting in new
sessions. Use RESET ALL to clear all role-specific settings. SET
FROM CURRENT saves the session's current value of the parameter as
the role-specific value. If IN DATABASE is specified, the
configuration parameter is set or removed for the given role and
database only.
Role-specific variable settings take effect only at login; SET ROLE
and SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION do not process role-specific variable
settings.
See SET(7) and Chapter 19 for more information about allowed
parameter names and values.
NOTES
Use CREATE ROLE to add new roles, and DROP ROLE to remove a role.
ALTER ROLE cannot change a role's memberships. Use GRANT and REVOKE to
do that.
Caution must be exercised when specifying an unencrypted password with
this command. The password will be transmitted to the server in
cleartext, and it might also be logged in the client's command history
or the server log. psql(1) contains a command \password that can be
used to change a role's password without exposing the cleartext
password.
It is also possible to tie a session default to a specific database
rather than to a role; see ALTER DATABASE (ALTER_DATABASE(7)). If there
is a conflict, database-role-specific settings override role-specific
ones, which in turn override database-specific ones.
EXAMPLES
Change a role's password:
ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD 'hu8jmn3';
Remove a role's password:
ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD NULL;
Change a password expiration date, specifying that the password should
expire at midday on 4th May 2015 using the time zone which is one hour
ahead of UTC:
ALTER ROLE chris VALID UNTIL 'May 4 12:00:00 2015 +1';
Make a password valid forever:
ALTER ROLE fred VALID UNTIL 'infinity';
Give a role the ability to manage other roles and create new databases:
ALTER ROLE miriam CREATEROLE CREATEDB;
Give a role a non-default setting of the maintenance_work_mem
parameter:
ALTER ROLE worker_bee SET maintenance_work_mem = 100000;
Give a role a non-default, database-specific setting of the
client_min_messages parameter:
ALTER ROLE fred IN DATABASE devel SET client_min_messages = DEBUG;
COMPATIBILITY
The ALTER ROLE statement is a PostgreSQL extension.
SEE ALSO
CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)), DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7)), ALTER DATABASE
(ALTER_DATABASE(7)), SET(7)
PostgreSQL 17.4 2025 ALTER ROLE(7)
postgresql 17.4 - Generated Sat Mar 22 12:31:15 CDT 2025