Download PostgreSQL
To install PostgreSQL locally on your computer, visit the installer by EDB, and download the newest
version compatible with your operating system.
I will choose the newest Windows version:
Start the Install
When the downloading is complete, double click the downloaded file and start the installation:
Specify Directory
You can specify the location of PostgreSQL, I will go with the default choice:
Select Components
To use PostgreSQL, you will need to install the PostgreSQL Server. In this tutorial we will also use the
pgAdmin 4 component, and the Command Line Tools:
Storage Directory
You can also choose where to store the database data, I will go with the default choice:
Select Password
You will have to select a password to get access to the database. Since this is a local database, with
no incoming connection, I will choose the password 12345678:
Select Port
You can set the port the server should listen on, I will go with the default choice:
Select Locale
Select the geographically location of the database server:
Final Check
If everything looks OK, click 'Next' to continue:
Start Installation:
Click 'Next' to start the installation:
Installing
This can take a while, please wait.
Complete!
Now you have installed PostgreSQL on your computer, and in the next chapter you will start using it!
Install pgadmin
Connect to the Database
In the previous chapter we learned how to connect to the database using the SQL Shell (psql)
application, which is a command-based application that allows us to interact with the PostgreSQL
database.
There is another application that comes built-in with the PostgreSQL installation, the pgAdmin 4
application, which also offers to interact with the database, but in a more user-friendly way.
Let us take a look and see how it works.
Start pgAdmin4
You will find the pgAdmin4 application in the start menu under PostgreSQL:
Tip: If you cannot find it, try searching for "pgAdmin4" on your computer.
Once the program has started, you should see a window like the one below, choose a master
password, Since this is a local database that will run only on my computer, I will once again choose
the password 12345678:
pgAdmin4
Once you are inside the program, try to perform a simple SQL query.
To do that we have to navigate to the database.
Start by opening the [Servers] option in the menu on the left:
Connect to Server
Now you need to enter the password that you created when you installed PostgreSQL, my password
is 12345678:
Find Database
Click on the [Database] option on in the menu on the left:
Open Query Tool
You should find a database named postgres, right-click it choose the "Query Tool":
Query Tool
In the Query Tool we can start executing SQL statements.
Write SQL Statements
Our database is empty, so we cannot query any tables yet, but we can check the version with this
SQL statement:
SELECT version();
To insert SQL statements in the Query Tool, just write in the input box like this:
Execute SQL Statements
To execute a SQL statement, click the "Play" button above the input box:
Result
The SQL statement is executed, and you can see the result in the "Data Output" area:
Now we have learned two ways of connection to a database and execute SQL statements on it:
SQL Shell (psql)
pgAdmin 4