DROPUSER(1) PostgreSQL Client Applications DROPUSER(1)NAME
dropuser - remove a PostgreSQL user account
SYNOPSIS
dropuser [ options... ] [ username ]
DESCRIPTION
dropuser removes an existing PostgreSQL user and the databases which that user owned. Only users with usesuper set in the pg_shadow table
can destroy PostgreSQL users.
dropuser is a shell script wrapper around the SQL command DROP USER [drop_user(7)] via the PostgreSQL interactive terminal psql(1). Thus,
there is nothing special about removing users via this or other methods. This means that the psql must be found by the script and that a
database server is running at the targeted host. Also, any default settings and environment variables available to psql and the libpq
front-end library do apply.
OPTIONS
dropuser accepts the following command-line arguments:
username
Specifies the name of the PostgreSQL user to be removed. This name must exist in the PostgreSQL installation. You will be prompted
for a name if none is specified on the command line.
-e
--echo Echo the queries that dropuser generates and sends to the server.
-i
--interactive
Prompt for confirmation before actually removing the user.
-q
--quiet
Do not display a response.
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 host begins with a slash, it is used as the directory for
the Unix domain socket.
-p port
--port port
Specifies the Internet TCP/IP 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 drop)
-W
--password
Force password prompt (to connect to the server, not for the password of the user to be dropped).
ENVIRONMENT
PGHOST
PGPORT
PGUSER Default connection parameters
DIAGNOSTICS
DROP USER
All is well.
dropuser: deletion of user "username" failed
Something went wrong. The user was not removed.
If there is an error condition, the backend error message will be displayed. See DROP USER [drop_user(7)] and psql(1) for possibilities.
EXAMPLES
To remove user joe from the default database server:
$ dropuser joe
DROP USER
To remove user joe using the postmaster on host eden, port 5000, with verification and a peek at the underlying query:
$ dropuser -p 5000 -h eden -i -e joe
User "joe" and any owned databases will be permanently deleted.
Are you sure? (y/n) y
DROP USER "joe"
DROP USER
SEE ALSO createuser(1), DROP USER [drop_user(7)]
Application 2002-11-22 DROPUSER(1)
Check Out this Related Man Page
DROPUSER(1) PostgreSQL 9.2.7 Documentation DROPUSER(1)NAME
dropuser - remove a PostgreSQL user account
SYNOPSIS
dropuser [connection-option...] [option...] [username]
DESCRIPTION
dropuser removes an existing PostgreSQL user. Only superusers and users with the CREATEROLE privilege can remove PostgreSQL users. (To
remove a superuser, you must yourself be a superuser.)
dropuser is a wrapper around the SQL command DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7)). There is no effective difference between dropping users via this
utility and via other methods for accessing the server.
OPTIONS
dropuser accepts the following command-line arguments:
username
Specifies the name of the PostgreSQL user to be removed. You will be prompted for a name if none is specified on the command line and
the -i/--interactive option is used.
-e, --echo
Echo the commands that dropuser generates and sends to the server.
-i, --interactive
Prompt for confirmation before actually removing the user, and prompt for the user name if none is specified on the command line.
-V, --version
Print the dropuser version and exit.
--if-exists
Do not throw an error if the user does not exist. A notice is issued in this case.
-?, --help
Show help about dropuser command line arguments, and exit.
dropuser 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 drop).
-w, --no-password
Never issue a password prompt. If the server requires password authentication and a password is not available by other means such as a
.pgpass file, the connection attempt will fail. This option can be useful in batch jobs and scripts where no user is present to enter a
password.
-W, --password
Force dropuser to prompt for a password before connecting to a database.
This option is never essential, since dropuser will automatically prompt for a password if the server demands password authentication.
However, dropuser will waste a connection attempt finding out that the server wants a password. In some cases it is worth typing -W to
avoid the extra connection attempt.
ENVIRONMENT
PGHOST, PGPORT, PGUSER
Default connection parameters
This utility, like most other PostgreSQL utilities, also uses the environment variables supported by libpq (see Section 31.14, "Environment
Variables", in the documentation).
DIAGNOSTICS
In case of difficulty, see DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7)) and psql(1) 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.
EXAMPLES
To remove user joe from the default database server:
$ dropuser joe
To remove user joe using the server on host eden, port 5000, with verification and a peek at the underlying command:
$ dropuser -p 5000 -h eden -i -e joe
Role "joe" will be permanently removed.
Are you sure? (y/n) y
DROP ROLE joe;
SEE ALSO createuser(1), DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7))
PostgreSQL 9.2.7 2014-02-17 DROPUSER(1)