PostgreSQL 16 Installation on Ubuntu 22.04
#database#postgres#sql
JohnDotOwl

JohnDotOwl @johndotowl

About: Don't hate me because I love AI

Location:
Singapore
Joined:
Feb 23, 2021

PostgreSQL 16 Installation on Ubuntu 22.04

Publish Date: Sep 24 '23
233 14

Overview
PostgreSQL 16 is the latest major release of the popular open source relational database. It comes with many new features and improvements such as enhanced monitoring capabilities, improved performance, logical replication enhancements, additional server configurations, and security advancements.

In this tutorial, we will cover how to install PostgreSQL 16 on Ubuntu 22.04 We will also look at some basic configuration to allow remote connections, enable password authentication, and get started with creating users, databases etc.

Prerequisites
Ubuntu 22.04
Root privileges or sudo access
use sudo su to get into root instead of ubuntu(default user)

Step 1 - Add PostgreSQL Repository

First, update the package index and install required packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnupg2 wget nano
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Add the PostgreSQL 16 repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt $(lsb_release -cs)-pgdg main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pgdg.list'
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Import the repository signing key:

curl -fsSL https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/postgresql.gpg
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Update the package list:

sudo apt update
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 2 - Install PostgreSQL 16

Install PostgreSQL 16 and contrib modules:

sudo apt install postgresql-16 postgresql-contrib-16
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Start and enable PostgreSQL service:

sudo systemctl start postgresql
sudo systemctl enable postgresql
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Check the version and ensure it's Postgresql 16:
psql --version
You should get something like

psql (PostgreSQL) 16.0 (Ubuntu 16.0-1.pgdg22.04+1)

Step 3 - Configure PostgreSQL 16

Edit postgresql.conf to allow remote connections by changing listen_addresses to *:

sudo nano /etc/postgresql/16/main/postgresql.conf
listen_addresses = '*'
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Configure PostgreSQL to use md5 password authentication by editing pg_hba.conf , this is important if you wish to connect remotely e.g. via PGADMIN :

sudo sed -i '/^host/s/ident/md5/' /etc/postgresql/16/main/pg_hba.conf
sudo sed -i '/^local/s/peer/trust/' /etc/postgresql/16/main/pg_hba.conf
echo "host all all 0.0.0.0/0 md5" | sudo tee -a /etc/postgresql/16/main/pg_hba.conf
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Restart PostgreSQL for changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart postgresql
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Allow PostgreSQL port through the firewall:

sudo ufw allow 5432/tcp
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 4 - Connect to PostgreSQL

Connect as the postgres user:

sudo -u postgres psql
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Set a password for postgres user:

ALTER USER postgres PASSWORD 'VeryStronGPassWord@1137';
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Conclusion
We have successfully installed PostgreSQL 16 on Ubuntu, performed some basic configuration like enabling remote connections, set up password authentication, created a database and users. PostgreSQL is now ready to be used for development or production workloads.

Comments 14 total

  • JohnDotOwl
    JohnDotOwlSep 24, 2023

    I enjoy installing PostgreSQL directly on bare metal servers, without any additional overhead from Docker containers, to get pure bare metal performance.

  • Evaristo Ramos
    Evaristo RamosOct 1, 2023

    hi sorry for the n00b question, but how do i change the default data directory? as i am looking to install a 1TB db that will exceed my boot/os drive

    • JohnDotOwl
      JohnDotOwlOct 2, 2023

      Sorry for the late reply
      Edit the postgresql.conf file: Find the data_directory parameter and set it to the new path you want to use. For example:
      data_directory = '/new/data/path'

      To add on, you can run commands like
      df -h Show mounted filesystems along with disk usage
      lsblk List all block devices along with information like mountpoints, size, type

      • Evaristo Ramos
        Evaristo RamosOct 3, 2023

        yah that didnt quite work for me. I did end up figuring it out though, from virgin install to new custom directory took 27 steps :/

        • JohnDotOwl
          JohnDotOwlOct 3, 2023

          Haha , that is one of the reason why i started blogging because i realise i'm going through the same process multiple times these years. Glad you got it figured out!

  • Rinx
    RinxJan 8, 2024

    I run this to create a root role (to match with my root user on ubuntu 20.04) so I don't have to switch to postgres user to use pg_restore.

    sudo -u postgres createuser --interactive
Enter name of role to add: root
Shall the new role be a superuser? (y/n) y
    Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • Nux
    NuxMar 18, 2024

    I think there is a typo. It is:
    sudo apt install gnupg2 wget vim
    Should be:
    sudo apt install gnupg2 wget nano
    I mean you do use nano, thankfully 😉

    • JohnDotOwl
      JohnDotOwlMar 19, 2024

      Updated, Thank you! HAHA Yeah , takes me minutes to exit vim , hehe

      • Amjad Abujamous
        Amjad AbujamousMay 7, 2024

        In my case, it was sudo apt install gnupg2 wget gedit
        GUI for the win.

  • Jonas Scholz
    Jonas ScholzApr 11, 2024

    nice post:)

  • ajaofjalskfj
    ajaofjalskfjMay 16, 2024

    is sudo ufw allow 5432/tcp a security risk? or listen_addresses = '*'?

    • JohnDotOwl
      JohnDotOwlMay 21, 2024

      Nope, for listen_addresses it's to allow remote connection, .e.g your wanna use PGADMIN to connect to DB, you kinda need that, make sure you see a good password

      With regards to the firewall, you can always use your VPS's firewall too e.g. DigitalOcean / AWS , almost all service provider will provide firewall for free.

  • Khen Hermoso
    Khen HermosoApr 30, 2025

    At step 1.2 upon entering the code, I am asked to put deb name. Instructions don't specify what to do in this step.

  • Ushakov Michael
    Ushakov MichaelMay 12, 2025

    Small additions:

    1. in sudo sh -c 'echo "deb apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt ... missing single quote char at the end
    2. sudo systemctl enable postgresql should be prior to sudo systemctl start postgresql
Add comment