How to Create a Read-Only User in PostgreSQL with pgAdmin

Introduction

PostgreSQL is a powerful open-source database management system known for its reliability and flexibility. Managing user access and privileges is crucial for ensuring data security and integrity. This article provides a comprehensive guide on creating a read-only user in PostgreSQL using pgAdmin, a popular graphical user interface (GUI) for PostgreSQL management.

Creating a Read-Only User

Follow these steps to create a read-only user in PostgreSQL with pgAdmin:

1. Open pgAdmin and navigate to the server where you want to create the user.
2. Right-click on the "Users" folder and select "Create > User..."
3. In the "Create User" dialog, enter the following information:
• Name: Enter a name for the new user.
• Password/Confirm Password: Enter a secure password for the user.
• Create a database with the same name and grant privileges: Leave this unchecked.
• Grant all privileges on database: Leave this unchecked.
• Default tablespace: Select the default tablespace for the user.
• Role: Select "readonly" from the drop-down menu.
4. Click "OK" to create the user.

Additional Considerations

When creating a read-only user, it's important to ensure that the user has the necessary privileges to perform the operations they need to perform. For example, you may need to grant the user the SELECT privilege on specific tables or schemas.

Conclusion

By creating a read-only user, you can provide restricted access to PostgreSQL databases while maintaining security and integrity. This is an essential step for organizations that need to share data with specific users without granting excessive privileges.