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$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/createdb.sgml,v 1.31 2003/03/18 22:19:46 petere Exp $
PostgreSQL documentation
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<refentry id="APP-CREATEDB">
 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle id="APP-CREATEDB-TITLE"><application>createdb</application></refentrytitle>
  <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
  <refmiscinfo>Application</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>

 <refnamediv>
  <refname>createdb</refname>
  <refpurpose>create a new <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <refsynopsisdiv>
  <cmdsynopsis>
   <command>createdb</command>
   <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>options</replaceable></arg>
   <arg><replaceable>dbname</replaceable></arg>
   <arg><replaceable>description</replaceable></arg>
  </cmdsynopsis>
 </refsynopsisdiv>


 <refsect1 id="R1-APP-CREATEDB-1">
  <title>
   Description
  </title>
  <para>
   <application>createdb</application> creates a new <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>
   database.
  </para>

  <para>
   Normally, the database user who executes this command becomes the owner of
   the new database.
   However a different owner can be specified via the <option>-O</option>
   option, if the executing user has appropriate privileges.
  </para>

  <para>
   <application>createdb</application> is a wrapper around the
   <acronym>SQL</acronym> command <xref linkend="SQL-CREATEDATABASE"
   endterm="SQL-CREATEDATABASE-title">.  Thus, there is nothing
   special about creating databases via this or other methods.  This
   means that a database server must be running at the targeted
   port. Also, any default settings and environment variables used by
   the <application>libpq</application> front-end library will apply.
  </para>
 </refsect1>


 <refsect1>
  <title>Options</title>

  <para>
   <application>createdb</application> accepts the following command-line arguments:

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">dbname</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the name of the database to be created.  The name must be
	unique among all <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> databases in this installation.
        The default is to create a database with the same name as the
        current system user.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><replaceable class="parameter">description</replaceable></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        This optionally specifies a comment to be associated with the newly created
	database.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">location</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--location <replaceable class="parameter">location</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the alternative location for the database.  See also <xref
	linkend="app-initlocation">.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-e</></term>
      <term><option>--echo</></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Echo the queries that <application>createdb</application> generates
	and sends to the server.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-E <replaceable class="parameter">encoding</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--encoding <replaceable class="parameter">encoding</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Specifies the character encoding scheme to be used in this database.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-O <replaceable class="parameter">owner</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--owner <replaceable class="parameter">owner</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	Specifies the database user who will own the new database.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

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

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-T <replaceable class="parameter">template</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--template <replaceable class="parameter">template</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        Specifies the template database from which to build this database.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
   </para>

   <para>
    The options <option>-D</option>, <option>-E</option>,
    <option>-O</option>, and
    <option>-T</option> correspond to options of the underlying
    SQL command <xref linkend="SQL-CREATEDATABASE"
    endterm="SQL-CREATEDATABASE-title">; see there for more information
    about them.
   </para>

   <para>
    <application>createdb</application> also accepts the following
    command-line arguments for connection parameters:

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-h <replaceable class="parameter">host</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--host <replaceable class="parameter">host</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
	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.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

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

     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-U <replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></></term>
      <term><option>--username <replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        User name to connect as
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

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

 </refsect1>


 <refsect1>
  <title>Diagnostics</title>

    <variablelist>
     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>CREATE DATABASE</computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>The database was successfully created.</para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>createdb: Database creation failed.</computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>(Says it all.)</para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry>
      <term><computeroutput>createdb: Comment creation failed. (Database was created.)</computeroutput></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
       The comment/description for the database could not be created.
       The database itself will have been created already. You can use the
       <acronym>SQL</acronym> command <command>COMMENT ON DATABASE</command> to
       create the comment later on.
       </para>
      </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>

   <para>
    If there is an error condition, the backend error message will be displayed.
    See <xref linkend="SQL-CREATEDATABASE" endterm="SQL-CREATEDATABASE-TITLE">
    for possibilities.
   </para>
 </refsect1>


 <refsect1>
  <title>Environment</title>

  <variablelist>
   <varlistentry>
    <term><envar>PGDATABASE</envar></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      If set, the name of the database to create, unless overridden on
      the command line.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><envar>PGHOST</envar></term>
    <term><envar>PGPORT</envar></term>
    <term><envar>PGUSER</envar></term>

    <listitem>
     <para>
      Default connection parameters.  <envar>PGUSER</envar> also
      determines the name of the database to create, if it is not
      specified on the command line or by <envar>PGDATABASE</envar>.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>
 </refsect1>


 <refsect1 id="R1-APP-CREATEDB-2">
  <title>Examples</title>

   <para>
    To create the database <literal>demo</literal> using the default
    database server:
<screen>
<prompt>$ </prompt><userinput>createdb demo</userinput>
<computeroutput>CREATE DATABASE</computeroutput>
</screen>
    The response is the same as you would have gotten from running the
    <command>CREATE DATABASE</command> <acronym>SQL</acronym> command.
   </para>

   <para>
    To create the database <literal>demo</literal> using the
    server on host <literal>eden</>, port 5000, using the
    <literal>LATIN1</literal> encoding scheme with a look at the
    underlying query:
<screen>
<prompt>$ </prompt><userinput>createdb -p 5000 -h eden -E LATIN1 -e demo</userinput>
<computeroutput>CREATE DATABASE "demo" WITH ENCODING = 'LATIN1'</computeroutput>
<computeroutput>CREATE DATABASE</computeroutput>
</screen>
   </para>
 </refsect1>


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

  <simplelist type="inline">
   <member><xref linkend="app-dropdb"></member>
   <member><xref linkend="sql-createdatabase" endterm="sql-createdatabase-title"></member>
  </simplelist>
 </refsect1>

</refentry>

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