SET ROLE(7) PostgreSQL 17.4 Documentation SET ROLE(7)
NAME
SET_ROLE - set the current user identifier of the current session
SYNOPSIS
SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] ROLE role_name
SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] ROLE NONE
RESET ROLE
DESCRIPTION
This command sets the current user identifier of the current SQL
session to be role_name. The role name can be written as either an
identifier or a string literal. After SET ROLE, permissions checking
for SQL commands is carried out as though the named role were the one
that had logged in originally. Note that SET ROLE and SET SESSION
AUTHORIZATION are exceptions; permissions checks for those continue to
use the current session user and the initial session user (the
authenticated user), respectively.
The current session user must have the SET option for the specified
role_name, either directly or indirectly via a chain of memberships
with the SET option. (If the session user is a superuser, any role can
be selected.)
The SESSION and LOCAL modifiers act the same as for the regular SET
command.
SET ROLE NONE sets the current user identifier to the current session
user identifier, as returned by session_user. RESET ROLE sets the
current user identifier to the connection-time setting specified by the
command-line options, ALTER ROLE, or ALTER DATABASE, if any such
settings exist. Otherwise, RESET ROLE sets the current user identifier
to the current session user identifier. These forms can be executed by
any user.
NOTES
Using this command, it is possible to either add privileges or restrict
one's privileges. If the session user role has been granted memberships
WITH INHERIT TRUE, it automatically has all the privileges of every
such role. In this case, SET ROLE effectively drops all the privileges
except for those which the target role directly possesses or inherits.
On the other hand, if the session user role has been granted
memberships WITH INHERIT FALSE, the privileges of the granted roles
can't be accessed by default. However, if the role was granted WITH SET
TRUE, the session user can use SET ROLE to drop the privileges assigned
directly to the session user and instead acquire the privileges
available to the named role. If the role was granted WITH INHERIT
FALSE, SET FALSE then the privileges of that role cannot be exercised
either with or without SET ROLE.
SET ROLE has effects comparable to SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION, but the
privilege checks involved are quite different. Also, SET SESSION
AUTHORIZATION determines which roles are allowable for later SET ROLE
commands, whereas changing roles with SET ROLE does not change the set
of roles allowed to a later SET ROLE.
SET ROLE does not process session variables as specified by the role's
ALTER ROLE settings; this only happens during login.
SET ROLE cannot be used within a SECURITY DEFINER function.
EXAMPLES
SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;
session_user | current_user
--------------+--------------
peter | peter
SET ROLE 'paul';
SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;
session_user | current_user
--------------+--------------
peter | paul
COMPATIBILITY
PostgreSQL allows identifier syntax ("rolename"), while the SQL
standard requires the role name to be written as a string literal. SQL
does not allow this command during a transaction; PostgreSQL does not
make this restriction because there is no reason to. The SESSION and
LOCAL modifiers are a PostgreSQL extension, as is the RESET syntax.
SEE ALSO
SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION (SET_SESSION_AUTHORIZATION(7))
PostgreSQL 17.4 2025 SET ROLE(7)
postgresql 17.4 - Generated Sat Mar 22 18:52:52 CDT 2025