Thread: password saved in .psql_history

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Dear all,
I noticed the password of a used is stored in the history of the psql user (postgres in my case). This happens when
alteruser <user> with password '<password>' is used. 
I suppose it is not a real bug but it might be handy to filter that for things like a history listing.
Best regards,
Hans Wolters

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On 2020-Aug-25, hans.wolters wrote:

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> 
> Dear all,
> I noticed the password of a used is stored in the history of the psql user (postgres in my case). This happens when
alteruser <user> with password '<password>' is used.
 
> I suppose it is not a real bug but it might be handy to filter that for things like a history listing.

This is why you should use \password in psql instead of 'alter user ..
password'.  (Well, that and the server log and risk of unencrypted
password traffic.)

-- 
Álvaro Herrera                https://www.2ndQuadrant.com/
PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Remote DBA, Training & Services