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Configure server parameters in Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

APPLIES TO: Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

You can list, show, and update configuration parameters for an Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

Parameter customization

Various methods and levels are available to customize your parameters according to your specific needs.

Global level

For viewing current configured values for server parameters or for altering them globally at the instance or server level, you can use the Server parameters page in the Azure portal. You can also interact with server parameters globally by using the CLI, the REST API, Azure Resource Manager templates, or third-party IaC tools.

Note

Because Azure Database for PostgreSQL is a managed database service, users don't have host or operating system access to view or modify configuration files such as postgresql.conf. The content of the files is automatically updated based on parameter changes that you make.

In this same article you can find sections to interact with server parameters globally to:

Granular levels

You can adjust parameters at more granular levels. These adjustments override globally set values. Their scope and duration depend on the level at which you make them:

  • Database level: Use the ALTER DATABASE command for database-specific configurations.

  • Role or user level: Use the ALTER USER command for user-centric settings.

  • Function, procedure level: When you're defining a function or procedure, you can specify or alter the configuration parameters that are used when the function is called.

  • Table level: As an example, you can modify parameters related to autovacuum at this level.

  • Session level: For the life of an individual database session, you can adjust specific parameters. PostgreSQL facilitates this adjustment with the following SQL commands:

    • Use the SET command to make session-specific adjustments. These changes serve as the default settings during the current session. Access to these changes might require specific SET privileges, and the limitations for modifiable and read-only parameters described earlier don't apply. The corresponding SQL function is set_config(setting_name, new_value, is_local).
    • Use the SHOW command to examine existing parameter settings. Its SQL function equivalent is current_setting(setting_name text).

List all server parameters

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters. The page shows a list of parameters, their configured values, optional units, whether they're read-only/dynamic/static, and their descriptions.

    Screenshot of Server parameters page.

  3. Select or hover over the i (information) icon, to see the allowed values to which each parameter can be set to. Depending on the data type of the parameter, which can be string, enumeration, integer, boolean, numeric, set, the allowed values vary. And it can be regular expression, list of values, range of integers, on/off, range of decimals, list of values, respectively.

    Screenshot showing balloon that pops up when hovering on the information icon.

  4. The list of server parameters supported by the instance consists of several hundred items, which are rendered in pages of 20 items each. At the bottom of the page, there's a control to inform you of the position you're at. There's also a paging control which you can use to navigate through the whole set of pages.

    Screenshot paging control in Server parameters page.

  5. If needed, use the Search to filter items... text box to narrow down the list to those parameters containing the search term in their name or in their description.

    Screenshot of search in Server parameters.

The Parameter type column can show any of the following values for each parameter:

Parameter type Description
Static Requires a server restart to make the change effective.
Dynamic Can be altered without the need to restart the server instance. However, changes will apply only to new connections established after the modification.
Read-only Isn't user configurable, because of their critical role in maintaining reliability, security, or other operational aspects of the service.

List server parameters with modified defaults

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters, and then select the Modified tab. The page shows a list of parameters whose currently set value deviates from the default.

    Screenshot of modified server parameters.

List read-write static server parameters

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters, and then select the Static tab. The page shows a list of read-write parameters for which, if their value is changed, require a restart of the server for the new value to take effect.

    Screenshot of static server parameters.

List read-write dynamic server parameters

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters, and then select the Dynamic tab. The page shows a list of read-write parameters for which, if their value is changed, require a restart of the server for the new value to take effect.

    Screenshot of dynamic server parameters.

List read-only server parameters

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters, and then select the Read-Only tab. The page shows a list of read-only parameters.

    Screenshot of read-only server parameters.

Set the value of one or more server parameters

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters.

  3. Locate the read-write parameters whose current values you want to change, set them to the new desired values, notice that an informational message indicates how many server parameter changes aren't saved yet, and select Save.

    Screenshot of setting the value of a server parameter.

  4. If the column Parameter type for any of the parameters changed is equal to Static, the server requires a restart for the changes to take effect. In that case, a dialog pops up so that you can select if you want to:

    • Save and Restart: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose values were modified, and immediately after restart the server for any changes to static parameters to take effect.
    • Save only: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose set values changed, but want to defer the server restart to a later time. Until you don't complete the server restart action, changes made to any static server parameters don't take effect.
    • Cancel: To not implement any changes yet.

    Screenshot of dialog requesting a restart of the server after modifying a static parameter.

Revert one server parameter to its default

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters.

  3. Locate the read-write parameter whose current value you want to revert to its default, select the ellipsis at the right end side of the scree, and select Reset to default.

    Screenshot of resetting the value of one server parameter to its default.

Important

For parameters designated as read-only, selecting the ellipsis doesn't pop up the Reset to default menu option.

  1. If the column Parameter type for the parameter you're trying to reset to default is equal to Static, the server requires a restart for the change to take effect. In that case, a dialog pops up so that you can select if you want to:

    • Save and Restart: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose values were modified, and immediately after restart the server for any changes to static parameters to take effect.
    • Save only: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose set values changed, but want to defer the server restart to a later time. Until you don't complete the server restart action, changes made to any static server parameters don't take effect.
    • Cancel: To not implement any changes yet.

    Screenshot of dialog requesting a restart of the server after modifying the value of a static parameter.

Revert all server parameters to their defaults

Using the Azure portal:

  1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server instance.

  2. In the resource menu, under the Settings section, select Server parameters.

  3. Select Reset all to default.

    Screenshot of resetting the value of all server parameters to their defaults.

  4. If, for any of the parameters whose current value doesn't match their default, the column Parameter type is equal to Static, the server requires a restart for the change to take effect. In that case, a dialog pops up so that you can select if you want to:

    • Save and Restart: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose values were modified, and immediately after restart the server for any changes to static parameters to take effect.
    • Save only: In case you want to persist all changes made to all parameters whose set values changed, but want to defer the server restart to a later time. Until you don't complete the server restart action, changes made to any static server parameters don't take effect.
    • Cancel: To not implement any changes yet.

    Screenshot of dialog requesting a restart of the server after having reset all to default.

Working with time zone parameters

If you plan to work with date and time data in PostgreSQL, make sure that you set the correct time zone for your location. All timezone-aware dates and times are stored internally in PostgreSQL in UTC. They're converted to local time in the zone specified by the TimeZone server parameter before being displayed to the client. This parameter can be edited on Server parameters page. PostgreSQL allows you to specify time zones in three different forms:

  • A full time zone name, for example America/New_York. The recognized time zone names are listed in the pg_timezone_names view.
    Example to query this view in psql and get list of time zone names:

    select name FROM pg_timezone_names LIMIT 20;

    You should see result set like:

              name
          -----------------------
          GMT0
          Iceland
          Factory
          NZ-CHAT
          America/Panama
          America/Fort_Nelson
          America/Pangnirtung
          America/Belem
          America/Coral_Harbour
          America/Guayaquil
          America/Marigot
          America/Barbados
          America/Porto_Velho
          America/Bogota
          America/Menominee
          America/Martinique
          America/Asuncion
          America/Toronto
          America/Tortola
          America/Managua
          (20 rows)
      
  • A time zone abbreviation, for example PST. Such a specification merely defines a particular offset from UTC, in contrast to full time zone names which can imply a set of daylight savings transition-date rules as well. The recognized abbreviations are listed in the pg_timezone_abbrevs view Example to query this view in psql and get list of time zone abbreviations:

     select abbrev from pg_timezone_abbrevs limit 20;

    You should see result set like:

          abbrev|
          ------+
          ACDT  |
          ACSST |
          ACST  |
          ACT   |
          ACWST |
          ADT   |
          AEDT  |
          AESST |
          AEST  |
          AFT   |
          AKDT  |
          AKST  |
          ALMST |
          ALMT  |
          AMST  |
          AMT   |
          ANAST |
          ANAT  |
          ARST  |
          ART   |
      
  • In addition to the timezone names and abbreviations, PostgreSQL accepts POSIX-style time zone specifications of the form STDoffset or STDoffsetDST, where STD is a zone abbreviation, offset is a numeric offset in hours west from UTC, and DST is an optional daylight-savings zone abbreviation, assumed to stand for one hour ahead of the given offset.

Share your suggestions and bugs with the Azure Database for PostgreSQL product team.