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Postgres documentation
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<refentry id="APP-DROPDB">
 <docinfo>
  <date>2000-11-11</date>
 </docinfo>

 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle id="APP-DROPDB-TITLE"><application>dropdb</application></refentrytitle>
  <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
  <refmiscinfo>Application</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>

 <refnamediv>
  <refname>dropdb</refname>
  <refpurpose>Remove an existing <productname>Postgres</productname> database</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <refsynopsisdiv>
  <cmdsynopsis>
   <command>dropdb</command>
   <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>options</replaceable></arg>
   <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>dbname</replaceable></arg>
  </cmdsynopsis>

  <refsect2 id="R2-APP-DROPDB-1">
   <title>
    Inputs
   </title>
   <para>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term>-h, --host <replaceable class="parameter">host</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the hostname of the machine on which the 
	<application>postmaster</application>
	is running.  If host begins with a slash, it is used 
	as the directory for the unix domain socket.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-p, --port <replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the Internet TCP/IP port or local Unix domain socket file 
	extension on which the <application>postmaster</application>
	is listening for connections.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-U, --username <replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Username to connect as.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-W, --password</term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Force password prompt.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-e, --echo</term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Echo the queries that <application>dropdb</application> generates
	and sends to the backend.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-q, --quiet</term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Do not display a response.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term>-i, --interactive</term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
       Issues a verification prompt before doing anything destructive.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">dbname</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the name of the database to be removed.  The database
	must be one of the existing <productname>Postgres</productname> databases
	in this installation.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>

    The options <literal>-h</literal>, <literal>-p</literal>, <literal>-U</literal>,
    <literal>-W</literal>, and <literal>-e</literal> are passed on literally to
    <xref linkend="APP-PSQL" endterm="APP-PSQL-title">.
   </para>
  </refsect2>


  <refsect2 id="R2-APP-DROPDB-2">
   <title>
    Outputs
   </title>
   <para>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>DROP DATABASE</computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>The database was successfully removed.</para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>dropdb: Database removal failed.</computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>Something didn't work out.</para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>

    If there is an error condition, the backend error message will be displayed.
    See <xref linkend="SQL-DROPDATABASE" endterm="SQL-DROPDATABASE-title">
    and <xref linkend="APP-PSQL" endterm="APP-PSQL-title"> for possibilities.
   </para>
  </refsect2>
 </refsynopsisdiv>


 <refsect1 id="R1-APP-DROPDB-1">
  <title>
   Description
  </title>
  <para>
   <application>dropdb</application> destroys an existing
   <productname>Postgres</productname> database.
   The user who executes this command must be a database
   superuser or the owner of the database.
  </para>

  <para>
   <application>dropdb</application> is a shell script wrapper around the
   <acronym>SQL</acronym> command
   <xref linkend="SQL-DROPDATABASE" endterm="SQL-DROPDATABASE-title"> via
   the <productname>Postgres</productname> interactive terminal
   <xref linkend="APP-PSQL" endterm="APP-PSQL-title">. Thus, there is nothing
   special about dropping databases via this or other methods. This means
   that the <application>psql</application> 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 <application>psql</application>
   and the <application>libpq</application> front-end library do apply.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 id="R1-APP-DROPDB-2">
  <title>Usage</title>

  <informalexample>
   <para>
    To destroy the database <literal>demo</literal> on the default
    database server:
<screen>
<prompt>$ </prompt><userinput>dropdb demo</userinput>
<computeroutput>DROP DATABASE</computeroutput>
</screen>
   </para>
  </informalexample>

  <informalexample>
   <para>
    To destroy the database <literal>demo</literal> using the
    postmaster on host eden, port 5000, with verification and a peek
    at the underlying query:
<screen>
<prompt>$ </prompt><userinput>dropdb -p 5000 -h eden -i -e demo</userinput>
<computeroutput>Database "demo" will be permanently deleted.
Are you sure? (y/n) </computeroutput><userinput>y</userinput>
<computeroutput>DROP DATABASE "demo"
DROP DATABASE</computeroutput>
</screen>
   </para>
  </informalexample>
 </refsect1>
</refentry>

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