How to Install PostgreSQL on Debian 13 (Trixie)

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PostgreSQL is a powerful and reliable open-source object-relational database system, widely used for its performance and advanced features. This guide will walk you through installing and configuring it on Debian 13.

Update the System

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apt update && apt upgrade -y

Output:

root@server:~# apt update && apt upgrade -y
Get:1 http://security.debian.org/debian-security trixie-security InRelease [43.4 kB]
Get:2 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie InRelease [168 kB]
Get:3 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie-updates InRelease [45.1 kB]
Get:4 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/main Sources.diff/Index [27.9 kB]
Get:5 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/non-free-firmware Sources.diff/Index [27.8 kB]
Get:6 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/main amd64 Packages.diff/Index [27.9 kB]
Get:7 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/main Translation-en.diff/Index [27.9 kB]

Install PostgreSQL

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apt install -y postgresql postgresql-contrib

This will install:

• PostgreSQL server
• Useful tools like psql
• Additional modules via postgresql-contrib

Enable and Start PostgreSQL

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systemctl enable postgresql
systemctl start postgresql

Check the status:

systemctl status postgresql

Switch to the PostgreSQL User

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PostgreSQL creates a default system user called postgres. Use it to interact with PostgreSQL:

su - postgres

Access PostgreSQL shell:

psql

To exit psql:

\q

To exit the postgres user shell:

exit

Install Sudo and Set Password for the postgres User

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apt install sudo

sudo -u postgres psql -c "ALTER USER postgres WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';"

Create a New Database and User (Optional)

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sudo -u postgres createuser yourusername
sudo -u postgres createdb yourdatabase

Grant privileges:

sudo -u postgres psql

Inside psql:

ALTER USER yourusername WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'userpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE yourdatabase TO yourusername;
\q

Conclusion

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Done. You now have PostgreSQL installed and configured on Debian 13.

You can manage your database using the psql CLI or tools like pgAdmin or DBeaver if using a GUI environment.