Setting the configuration parameters for the database server

The parameter file, which is known as postgresql.conf, is the main location that’s used to define parameter values for the PostgreSQL server. All the parameters can be set in the parameter file. There are also two other parameter files: pg_hba.conf and pg_ident.conf. Both of these relate to connections and security, so we’ll cover them in later chapters. Other locations can be added with the include directive inside postgresql.conf, as we will explain in this recipe.

Getting ready

In the pg_settings view of the pg_catalog, the context defines when each parameter can be set. The following table categorizes this so that we can see what action is needed for changes to take effect. SET is a command, but RELOAD and RESTART are actions, not specific commands. What is RESTART ALL? Some parameters marked POSTMASTER are marked as exceptions in the following table. These parameters must be set to a value less...