<!--
$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/create_user.sgml,v 1.36 2005/01/06 00:11:14 tgl Exp $
PostgreSQL documentation
-->

<refentry id="SQL-CREATEUSER">
 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle id="sql-createuser-title">CREATE USER</refentrytitle>
  <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>

 <refnamediv>
  <refname>CREATE USER</refname>
  <refpurpose>define a new database user account</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <indexterm zone="sql-createuser">
  <primary>CREATE USER</primary>
 </indexterm>

 <refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
CREATE USER <replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable> [ [ WITH ] <replaceable class="PARAMETER">option</replaceable> [ ... ] ]

where <replaceable class="PARAMETER">option</replaceable> can be:
    
      SYSID <replaceable class="PARAMETER">uid</replaceable> 
    | CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB
    | CREATEUSER | NOCREATEUSER
    | IN GROUP <replaceable class="PARAMETER">groupname</replaceable> [, ...]
    | [ ENCRYPTED | UNENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD '<replaceable class="PARAMETER">password</replaceable>'
    | VALID UNTIL '<replaceable class="PARAMETER">abstime</replaceable>' 
</synopsis>
 </refsynopsisdiv>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Description</title>

  <para>
   <command>CREATE USER</command> adds a new user to a
   <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database cluster.  Refer to
   <xref linkend="user-manag"> and <xref
   linkend="client-authentication"> for information about managing
   users and authentication.  You must be a database superuser to use
   this command.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Parameters</title>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        The name of the new user.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">uid</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        The <literal>SYSID</literal> clause can be used to choose the
        <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> user ID of the new user.
        This is normally not necessary, but may
        be useful if you need to recreate the owner of an orphaned
        object.
       </para>
       <para>
        If this is not specified, the highest assigned user ID plus one
        (with a minimum of 100) will be used as default.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><literal>CREATEDB</></term>
      <term><literal>NOCREATEDB</></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        These clauses define a user's ability to create databases.  If
        <literal>CREATEDB</literal> is specified, the user being
        defined will be allowed to create his own databases. Using
        <literal>NOCREATEDB</literal> will deny a user the ability to
        create databases. If not specified,
        <literal>NOCREATEDB</literal> is the default.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><literal>CREATEUSER</literal></term>
      <term><literal>NOCREATEUSER</literal></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        These clauses determine whether a user will be permitted to
        create new users himself. <literal>CREATEUSER</literal> will also make
        the user a superuser, who can override all access restrictions.
        If not specified,
        <literal>NOCREATEUSER</literal> is the default.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">groupname</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        A name of an existing group into which to insert the user as a new
        member. Multiple group names may be listed.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">password</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Sets the user's password. If you do not plan to use password
        authentication you can omit this option, but then the user
        won't be able to connect if you decide to switch to password
        authentication.  The password can be set or changed later,
        using <xref linkend="SQL-ALTERUSER"
        endterm="SQL-ALTERUSER-title">.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><literal>ENCRYPTED</></term>
      <term><literal>UNENCRYPTED</></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        These key words control whether the password is stored
        encrypted in the system catalogs.  (If neither is specified,
        the default behavior is determined by the configuration
        parameter <xref linkend="guc-password-encryption">.)  If the
        presented password string is already in MD5-encrypted format,
        then it is stored encrypted as-is, regardless of whether
        <literal>ENCRYPTED</> or <literal>UNENCRYPTED</> is specified
        (since the system cannot decrypt the specified encrypted
        password string).  This allows reloading of encrypted
        passwords during dump/restore.
       </para>

       <para>
        Note that older clients may lack support for the MD5
        authentication mechanism that is needed to work with passwords
        that are stored encrypted.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">abstime</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        The <literal>VALID UNTIL</literal> clause sets an absolute
        time after which the user's password is no longer valid.  If
        this clause is omitted the password will be valid for all time.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
 </refsect1> 

 <refsect1>
  <title>Notes</title>

  <para>
   Use <xref linkend="SQL-ALTERUSER" endterm="SQL-ALTERUSER-title"> to
   change the attributes of a user, and <xref linkend="SQL-DROPUSER"
   endterm="SQL-DROPUSER-title"> to remove a user.  Use <xref
   linkend="SQL-ALTERGROUP" endterm="SQL-ALTERGROUP-title"> to add the
   user to groups or remove the user from groups.
  </para>

  <para>
   <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> includes a program <xref
   linkend="APP-CREATEUSER" endterm="APP-CREATEUSER-title"> that has
   the same functionality as <command>CREATE USER</command> (in fact, it calls this
   command) but can be run from the command shell.
  </para>

  <para>
   The <literal>VALID UNTIL</> clause defines an expiration time for a
   password only, not for the user account <foreignphrase>per se</>.  In
   particular, the expiration time is not enforced when logging in using
   a non-password-based authentication method.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Examples</title>

  <para>
   Create a user with no password:
<programlisting>
CREATE USER jonathan;
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
   Create a user with a password:
<programlisting>
CREATE USER davide WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4';
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
   Create a user with a password that is valid until the end of 2004.
   After one second has ticked in 2005, the password is no longer
   valid.

<programlisting>
CREATE USER miriam WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4' VALID UNTIL '2005-01-01';
</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para> 
   Create an account where the user can create databases:
<programlisting>
CREATE USER manuel WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4' CREATEDB;
</programlisting>
  </para>
 </refsect1>
 
 <refsect1>
  <title>Compatibility</title>
  
  <para>
   The <command>CREATE USER</command> statement is a
   <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> extension.  The SQL standard
   leaves the definition of users to the implementation.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>See Also</title>

  <simplelist type="inline">
   <member><xref linkend="sql-alteruser" endterm="sql-alteruser-title"></member>
   <member><xref linkend="sql-dropuser" endterm="sql-dropuser-title"></member>
   <member><xref linkend="app-createuser"></member>
  </simplelist>
 </refsect1>
</refentry>

<!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file
Local variables:
mode: sgml
sgml-omittag:nil
sgml-shorttag:t
sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
sgml-always-quote-attributes:t
sgml-indent-step:1
sgml-indent-data:t
sgml-parent-document:nil
sgml-default-dtd-file:"../reference.ced"
sgml-exposed-tags:nil
sgml-local-catalogs:"/usr/lib/sgml/catalog"
sgml-local-ecat-files:nil
End:
-->
