Re: specifying a password on the cmd line for db connect - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: specifying a password on the cmd line for db connect
Date
Msg-id 1933.1259249227@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: specifying a password on the cmd line for db connect  (Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz>)
List pgsql-general
Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> writes:
> On 2009-11-17, Ashesh Vashi <ashesh.vashi@enterprisedb.com> wrote:
>> You can always use the environment variable PGPASSWORD to do that.
>> Though - it is not recommended to use for security reason. :(

> as long as it's not in the default environment it's better than a
> command-line password.

On some platforms it's possible to see all of a process's environment
variables using ps-like tools.  That's why PGPASSWORD is deprecated.
If you're certain that your platform is not like this, then
"export PGPASSWORD=foo" is probably reasonably safe.  On the whole,
though, a .pgpass file is probably safer as well as more convenient.

            regards, tom lane

pgsql-general by date:

Previous
From: Chris Barnes
Date:
Subject: Bestpractice for upgrading from enterpriseDB 8.3.3 to rpm 8.4.1.
Next
From: Alan Hodgson
Date:
Subject: Re: READ ONLY & I/O ERROR