createuser 1 Application createuser define a new PostgreSQL user account createuser createuser option username 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 PostgreSQL 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 . There is no effective difference between creating users via this utility and via other methods for accessing the server. 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 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 --password Force password prompt (to connect to the server, not for the password of the new user). PGHOST PGPORT PGUSER Default connection parameters In case of difficulty, see and 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. 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