NAME
ALTER ROLE - change a database role
SYNOPSIS
ALTER ROLE name [ [ WITH ] option [ ... ] ]
where option can be:
SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
| CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
| CREATEROLE | NOCREATEROLE
| CREATEUSER | NOCREATEUSER
| INHERIT | NOINHERIT
| LOGIN | NOLOGIN
| CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
| [ ENCRYPTED | UNENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD ’password’
| VALID UNTIL ’timestamp’
ALTER ROLE name RENAME TO newname
ALTER ROLE name SET configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value | DEFAULT }
ALTER ROLE name SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
ALTER ROLE name RESET configuration_parameter
ALTER ROLE name RESET ALL
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
[create_role(7)]. (All the possible attributes are covered, except
that there are no options for adding or removing memberships; use GRANT
[grant(7)] and REVOKE [revoke(7)] for that.) Attributes not mentioned
in the command retain their previous settings. Database superusers can
change any of these settings for any role. Roles having CREATEROLE
privilege can change any of these settings, but only for non-superuser
roles. 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. 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 specified
configuration variable. 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, so
configuration settings associated with a role to which you’ve SET ROLE
[set_role(7)] will be ignored. Superusers can change anyone’s session
defaults. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change defaults for
non-superuser roles. Certain variables cannot be set this way, or can
only be set if a superuser issues the command.
PARAMETERS
name The name of the role whose attributes are to be altered.
SUPERUSER
NOSUPERUSER
CREATEDB
NOCREATEDB
CREATEROLE
NOCREATEROLE
CREATEUSER
NOCREATEUSER
INHERIT
NOINHERIT
LOGIN
NOLOGIN
CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit
PASSWORD password
ENCRYPTED
UNENCRYPTED
VALID UNTIL ’timestamp’
These clauses alter attributes originally set by CREATE ROLE
[create_role(7)]. For more information, see the CREATE ROLE
reference page.
newname
The new name of the role.
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.
Role-specific variable setting take effect only at login; SET
ROLE [set_role(7)] does not process role-specific variable
settings.
See SET [set(7)] and in the documentation for more information
about allowed parameter names and values.
NOTES
Use CREATE ROLE [create_role(7)] to add new roles, and DROP ROLE
[drop_role(7)] to remove a role.
ALTER ROLE cannot change a role’s memberships. Use GRANT [grant(7)]
and REVOKE [revoke(7)] 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 [psql(1)] contains a command \password that can
be used to safely change a role’s 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)]. Role-
specific settings override database-specific ones if there is a
conflict.
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 create other roles and 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;
COMPATIBILITY
The ALTER ROLE statement is a PostgreSQL extension.
SEE ALSO
CREATE ROLE [create_role(7)], DROP ROLE [drop_role(7)], SET [set(7)]