ALTER ROLE(7)		PostgreSQL 9.2.24 Documentation		 ALTER ROLE(7)



NAME
       ALTER_ROLE - change a database role

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

       where option can be:

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

       ALTER ROLE name RENAME TO new_name

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

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
       (CREATE_ROLE(7)). (All the possible attributes are covered, except that
       there are no options for adding or removing memberships; use GRANT(7)
       and REVOKE(7) for that.) Attributes not mentioned in the command retain
       their previous settings. Database superusers can change any of these
       settings for any role. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change any
       of these settings, but only for non-superuser and non-replication
       roles. 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. 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.
       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
       (SET_ROLE(7)) or SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION
       (SET_SESSION_AUTHORIZATION(7)) does not cause new configuration values
       to be set. Settings set for all databases are overridden by
       database-specific settings attached to a role. Superusers can change
       anyone's session defaults. Roles having CREATEROLE privilege can change
       defaults for non-superuser roles. 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.

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

       SUPERUSER, NOSUPERUSER, CREATEDB, NOCREATEDB, CREATEROLE, NOCREATEROLE,
       CREATEUSER, NOCREATEUSER, INHERIT, NOINHERIT, LOGIN, NOLOGIN,
       REPLICATION, NOREPLICATION, CONNECTION LIMIT connlimit, PASSWORD
       password, ENCRYPTED, UNENCRYPTED, VALID UNTIL 'timestamp'
	   These clauses alter attributes originally set by CREATE ROLE
	   (CREATE_ROLE(7)). 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
	   (SET_ROLE(7)) and SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION
	   (SET_SESSION_AUTHORIZATION(7)) do not process role-specific
	   variable settings.

	   See SET(7) and Chapter 18, Server Configuration, in the
	   documentation for more information about allowed parameter names
	   and values.

NOTES
       Use CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)) to add new roles, and DROP ROLE
       (DROP_ROLE(7)) to remove a role.

       ALTER ROLE cannot change a role's memberships. Use GRANT(7) and
       REVOKE(7) 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 create other roles and 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)), SET(7)



PostgreSQL 9.2.24		  2017-11-06			 ALTER ROLE(7)