1ALTER ROLE(7) PostgreSQL 16.1 Documentation ALTER ROLE(7)
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6 ALTER_ROLE - change a database role
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9 ALTER ROLE role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]
10 where option can be:
12 SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
14 | CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
15 | CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
16 | INHERIT | NOINHERIT
17 | LOGIN | NOLOGIN
18 | REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
19 | BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
20 | CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
21 | [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
22 | VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
23 ALTER ROLE name RENAME TO new_name
25 ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
27 ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
28 ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
29 ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL
30 where role_specification can be:
32 role_name
34 | CURRENT_ROLE
35 | CURRENT_USER
36 | SESSION_USER
37
39 ALTER ROLE changes the attributes of a PostgreSQL role.
40 The first variant of this command listed in the synopsis can change
42 many of the role attributes that can be specified in CREATE ROLE. (All
43 the possible attributes are covered, except that there are no options
44 for adding or removing memberships; use GRANT and REVOKE for that.)
45 Attributes not mentioned in the command retain their previous settings.
46 Database superusers can change any of these settings for any role.
47 Non-superuser roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change most of
48 these properties, but only for non-superuser and non-replication roles
49 for which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. Non-superusers cannot
50 change the SUPERUSER property and can change the CREATEDB, REPLICATION,
51 and BYPASSRLS properties only if they possess the corresponding
52 property themselves. Ordinary roles can only change their own password.
53 The second variant changes the name of the role. Database superusers
55 can rename any role. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can rename
56 non-superuser roles for which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. The
57 current session user cannot be renamed. (Connect as a different user if
58 you need to do that.) Because MD5-encrypted passwords use the role name
59 as cryptographic salt, renaming a role clears its password if the
60 password is MD5-encrypted.
61 The remaining variants change a role's session default for a
63 configuration variable, either for all databases or, when the IN
64 DATABASE clause is specified, only for sessions in the named database.
65 If ALL is specified instead of a role name, this changes the setting
66 for all roles. Using ALL with IN DATABASE is effectively the same as
67 using the command ALTER DATABASE ... SET ....
68 Whenever the role subsequently starts a new session, the specified
70 value becomes the session default, overriding whatever setting is
71 present in postgresql.conf or has been received from the postgres
72 command line. This only happens at login time; executing SET ROLE or
73 SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION does not cause new configuration values to be
74 set. Settings set for all databases are overridden by database-specific
75 settings attached to a role. Settings for specific databases or
76 specific roles override settings for all roles.
77 Superusers can change anyone's session defaults. Roles having
79 CREATEROLE privilege can change defaults for non-superuser roles for
80 which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. Ordinary roles can only set
81 defaults for themselves. Certain configuration variables cannot be set
82 this way, or can only be set if a superuser issues the command. Only
83 superusers can change a setting for all roles in all databases.
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86 name
87 The name of the role whose attributes are to be altered.
88 CURRENT_ROLE
90 CURRENT_USER
91 Alter the current user instead of an explicitly identified role.
92 SESSION_USER
94 Alter the current session user instead of an explicitly identified
95 role.
96 SUPERUSER
98 NOSUPERUSER
99 CREATEDB
100 NOCREATEDB
101 CREATEROLE
102 NOCREATEROLE
103 INHERIT
104 NOINHERIT
105 LOGIN
106 NOLOGIN
107 REPLICATION
108 NOREPLICATION
109 BYPASSRLS
110 NOBYPASSRLS
111 CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
112 [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password'
113 PASSWORD NULL
114 VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
115 These clauses alter attributes originally set by CREATE ROLE. For
116 more information, see the CREATE ROLE reference page.
117 new_name
119 The new name of the role.
120 database_name
122 The name of the database the configuration variable should be set
123 in.
124 configuration_parameter
126 value
127 Set this role's session default for the specified configuration
128 parameter to the given value. If value is DEFAULT or, equivalently,
129 RESET is used, the role-specific variable setting is removed, so
130 the role will inherit the system-wide default setting in new
131 sessions. Use RESET ALL to clear all role-specific settings. SET
132 FROM CURRENT saves the session's current value of the parameter as
133 the role-specific value. If IN DATABASE is specified, the
134 configuration parameter is set or removed for the given role and
135 database only.
136 Role-specific variable settings take effect only at login; SET ROLE
138 and SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION do not process role-specific variable
139 settings.
140 See SET(7) and Chapter 20 for more information about allowed
142 parameter names and values.
143
145 Use CREATE ROLE to add new roles, and DROP ROLE to remove a role.
146 ALTER ROLE cannot change a role's memberships. Use GRANT and REVOKE to
148 do that.
149 Caution must be exercised when specifying an unencrypted password with
151 this command. The password will be transmitted to the server in
152 cleartext, and it might also be logged in the client's command history
153 or the server log. psql(1) contains a command \password that can be
154 used to change a role's password without exposing the cleartext
155 password.
156 It is also possible to tie a session default to a specific database
158 rather than to a role; see ALTER DATABASE (ALTER_DATABASE(7)). If there
159 is a conflict, database-role-specific settings override role-specific
160 ones, which in turn override database-specific ones.
161
163 Change a role's password:
164 ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD 'hu8jmn3';
166 Remove a role's password:
168 ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD NULL;
170 Change a password expiration date, specifying that the password should
172 expire at midday on 4th May 2015 using the time zone which is one hour
173 ahead of UTC:
174 ALTER ROLE chris VALID UNTIL 'May 4 12:00:00 2015 +1';
176 Make a password valid forever:
178 ALTER ROLE fred VALID UNTIL 'infinity';
180 Give a role the ability to manage other roles and create new databases:
182 ALTER ROLE miriam CREATEROLE CREATEDB;
184 Give a role a non-default setting of the maintenance_work_mem
186 parameter:
187 ALTER ROLE worker_bee SET maintenance_work_mem = 100000;
189 Give a role a non-default, database-specific setting of the
191 client_min_messages parameter:
192 ALTER ROLE fred IN DATABASE devel SET client_min_messages = DEBUG;
194
196 The ALTER ROLE statement is a PostgreSQL extension.
197
199 CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)), DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7)), ALTER DATABASE
200 (ALTER_DATABASE(7)), SET(7)
201PostgreSQL 16.1 2023 ALTER ROLE(7)