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ALTER ROLE(7)		 PostgreSQL 17.5 Documentation		 ALTER ROLE(7)

NAME
       ALTER_ROLE - change a database role

SYNOPSIS
       ALTER ROLE role_specification [ WITH ] option [ ... ]

       where option can	be:

	     SUPERUSER | NOSUPERUSER
	   | CREATEDB |	NOCREATEDB
	   | CREATEROLE	| NOCREATEROLE
	   | INHERIT | NOINHERIT
	   | LOGIN | NOLOGIN
	   | REPLICATION | NOREPLICATION
	   | BYPASSRLS | NOBYPASSRLS
	   | CONNECTION	LIMIT connlimit
	   | [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | PASSWORD NULL
	   | VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'

       ALTER ROLE name RENAME TO new_name

       ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter { TO |	= } { value | DEFAULT }
       ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] SET configuration_parameter FROM CURRENT
       ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET configuration_parameter
       ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN DATABASE database_name ] RESET ALL

       where role_specification	can be:

	   role_name
	 | CURRENT_ROLE
	 | CURRENT_USER
	 | SESSION_USER

DESCRIPTION
       ALTER ROLE changes the attributes of a PostgreSQL role.

       The first variant of this command listed	in the synopsis	can change
       many of the role	attributes that	can be specified in CREATE ROLE. (All
       the possible attributes are covered, except that	there are no options
       for adding or removing memberships; use GRANT and REVOKE	for that.)
       Attributes not mentioned	in the command retain their previous settings.
       Database	superusers can change any of these settings for	any role,
       except for changing the SUPERUSER property for the bootstrap superuser.
       Non-superuser roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change most of
       these properties, but only for non-superuser and	non-replication	roles
       for which they have been	granted	ADMIN OPTION. Non-superusers cannot
       change the SUPERUSER property and can change the	CREATEDB, REPLICATION,
       and BYPASSRLS properties	only if	they possess the corresponding
       property	themselves. Ordinary roles can only change their own password.

       The second variant changes the name of the role.	Database superusers
       can rename any role. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can rename
       non-superuser roles for which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. The
       current session user cannot be renamed. (Connect	as a different user if
       you need	to do that.) Because MD5-encrypted passwords use the role name
       as cryptographic	salt, renaming a role clears its password if the
       password	is MD5-encrypted.

       The remaining variants change a role's session default for a
       configuration variable, either for all databases	or, when the IN
       DATABASE	clause is specified, only for sessions in the named database.
       If ALL is specified instead of a	role name, this	changes	the setting
       for all roles. Using ALL	with IN	DATABASE is effectively	the same as
       using the command ALTER DATABASE	... SET	....

       Whenever	the role subsequently starts a new session, the	specified
       value becomes the session default, overriding whatever setting is
       present in postgresql.conf or has been received from the	postgres
       command line. This only happens at login	time; executing	SET ROLE or
       SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION does not cause	new configuration values to be
       set. Settings set for all databases are overridden by database-specific
       settings	attached to a role. Settings for specific databases or
       specific	roles override settings	for all	roles.

       Superusers can change anyone's session defaults.	Roles having
       CREATEROLE privilege can	change defaults	for non-superuser roles	for
       which they have been granted ADMIN OPTION. Ordinary roles can only set
       defaults	for themselves.	Certain	configuration variables	cannot be set
       this way, or can	only be	set if a superuser issues the command. Only
       superusers can change a setting for all roles in	all databases.

PARAMETERS
       name
	   The name of the role	whose attributes are to	be altered.

       CURRENT_ROLE
       CURRENT_USER
	   Alter the current user instead of an	explicitly identified role.

       SESSION_USER
	   Alter the current session user instead of an	explicitly identified
	   role.

       SUPERUSER
       NOSUPERUSER
       CREATEDB
       NOCREATEDB
       CREATEROLE
       NOCREATEROLE
       INHERIT
       NOINHERIT
       LOGIN
       NOLOGIN
       REPLICATION
       NOREPLICATION
       BYPASSRLS
       NOBYPASSRLS
       CONNECTION LIMIT	connlimit
       [ ENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password'
       PASSWORD	NULL
       VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
	   These clauses alter attributes originally set by CREATE ROLE. For
	   more	information, see the CREATE ROLE reference page.

       new_name
	   The new name	of the role.

       database_name
	   The name of the database the	configuration variable should be set
	   in.

       configuration_parameter
       value
	   Set this role's session default for the specified configuration
	   parameter to	the given value. If value is DEFAULT or, equivalently,
	   RESET is used, the role-specific variable setting is	removed, so
	   the role will inherit the system-wide default setting in new
	   sessions. Use RESET ALL to clear all	role-specific settings.	 SET
	   FROM	CURRENT	saves the session's current value of the parameter as
	   the role-specific value. If IN DATABASE is specified, the
	   configuration parameter is set or removed for the given role	and
	   database only.

	   Role-specific variable settings take	effect only at login; SET ROLE
	   and SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION do not	process	role-specific variable
	   settings.

	   See SET(7) and Chapter 19 for more information about	allowed
	   parameter names and values.

NOTES
       Use CREATE ROLE to add new roles, and DROP ROLE to remove a role.

       ALTER ROLE cannot change	a role's memberships. Use GRANT	and REVOKE to
       do that.

       Caution must be exercised when specifying an unencrypted	password with
       this command. The password will be transmitted to the server in
       cleartext, and it might also be logged in the client's command history
       or the server log.  psql(1) contains a command \password	that can be
       used to change a	role's password	without	exposing the cleartext
       password.

       It is also possible to tie a session default to a specific database
       rather than to a	role; see ALTER	DATABASE (ALTER_DATABASE(7)). If there
       is a conflict, database-role-specific settings override role-specific
       ones, which in turn override database-specific ones.

EXAMPLES
       Change a	role's password:

	   ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD 'hu8jmn3';

       Remove a	role's password:

	   ALTER ROLE davide WITH PASSWORD NULL;

       Change a	password expiration date, specifying that the password should
       expire at midday	on 4th May 2015	using the time zone which is one hour
       ahead of	UTC:

	   ALTER ROLE chris VALID UNTIL	'May 4 12:00:00	2015 +1';

       Make a password valid forever:

	   ALTER ROLE fred VALID UNTIL 'infinity';

       Give a role the ability to manage other roles and create	new databases:

	   ALTER ROLE miriam CREATEROLE	CREATEDB;

       Give a role a non-default setting of the	maintenance_work_mem
       parameter:

	   ALTER ROLE worker_bee SET maintenance_work_mem = 100000;

       Give a role a non-default, database-specific setting of the
       client_min_messages parameter:

	   ALTER ROLE fred IN DATABASE devel SET client_min_messages = DEBUG;

COMPATIBILITY
       The ALTER ROLE statement	is a PostgreSQL	extension.

SEE ALSO
       CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)), DROP ROLE (DROP_ROLE(7)), ALTER DATABASE
       (ALTER_DATABASE(7)), SET(7)

PostgreSQL 17.5			     2025			 ALTER ROLE(7)

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