Postgresql dev setup: It's Really Not As Complicated As You're Making It Out To Be

postgresql.md

PostgreSQL tutorials for having a quick dev setup that just works are overcomplicated. Here's what you should do in 99.99% of cases.

postgresql installation

root# apt install postgresql

creating your user

As your main user:

antoine$ sudo -u postgres createuser -dP $USER

-d to allow database creation, -P to prompt for a password. The first argument is your UNIX username.

creating your db

As your main user:

antoine$ createdb mydb

That's it. No pg_hba.conf, no CREATE ROLE, no WITH ENCRYPTED, no ALTER USER.

using your db

antoine$ psql mydb

No password to enter.

With Django:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        'NAME': 'mydb',
    }
}

No password either. The only reason for having a password at all is just to be able to log in remotely or for tools that don't handle peer auth.