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<!-- doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_restore.sgml -->
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<refentry id="APP-PGRESTORE">
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<refentrytitle>pg_restore</refentrytitle>
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<manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
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<refmiscinfo>Application</refmiscinfo>
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<refname>pg_restore</refname>
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restore a <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database from an
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archive file created by <application>pg_dump</application>
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<indexterm zone="app-pgrestore">
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<primary>pg_restore</primary>
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<command>pg_restore</command>
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<arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>connection-option</replaceable></arg>
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<arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>option</replaceable></arg>
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<arg><replaceable>filename</replaceable></arg>
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<refsect1 id="app-pgrestore-description">
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<title>Description</title>
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<application>pg_restore</application> is a utility for restoring a
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<productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database from an archive
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created by <xref linkend="app-pgdump"> in one of the non-plain-text
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formats. It will issue the commands necessary to reconstruct the
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database to the state it was in at the time it was saved. The
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archive files also allow <application>pg_restore</application> to
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be selective about what is restored, or even to reorder the items
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prior to being restored. The archive files are designed to be
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portable across architectures.
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<application>pg_restore</application> can operate in two modes.
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If a database name is specified, <application>pg_restore</application>
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connects to that database and restores archive contents directly into
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the database. Otherwise, a script containing the SQL
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commands necessary to rebuild the database is created and written
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to a file or standard output. This script output is equivalent to
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the plain text output format of <application>pg_dump</application>.
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Some of the options controlling the output are therefore analogous to
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<application>pg_dump</application> options.
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Obviously, <application>pg_restore</application> cannot restore information
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that is not present in the archive file. For instance, if the
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archive was made using the <quote>dump data as
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<command>INSERT</command> commands</quote> option,
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<application>pg_restore</application> will not be able to load the data
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using <command>COPY</command> statements.
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<refsect1 id="app-pgrestore-options">
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<title>Options</title>
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<application>pg_restore</application> accepts the following command
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<term><replaceable class="parameter">filename</replaceable></term>
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Specifies the location of the archive file (or directory, for a
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directory-format archive) to be restored.
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If not specified, the standard input is used.
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<term><option>-a</option></term>
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<term><option>--data-only</option></term>
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Restore only the data, not the schema (data definitions).
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<term><option>-c</option></term>
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<term><option>--clean</option></term>
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Clean (drop) database objects before recreating them.
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<term><option>-C</option></term>
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<term><option>--create</option></term>
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Create the database before restoring into it. (When this
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option is used, the database named with <option>-d</option> is
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used only to issue the initial <command>CREATE DATABASE</>
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command. All data is restored into the database name that
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appears in the archive.)
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<term><option>-d <replaceable class="parameter">dbname</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--dbname=<replaceable class="parameter">dbname</replaceable></option></term>
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Connect to database <replaceable
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class="parameter">dbname</replaceable> and restore directly
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<term><option>-e</option></term>
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<term><option>--exit-on-error</option></term>
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Exit if an error is encountered while sending SQL commands to
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the database. The default is to continue and to display a count of
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errors at the end of the restoration.
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<term><option>-f <replaceable>filename</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--file=<replaceable>filename</replaceable></option></term>
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Specify output file for generated script, or for the listing
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when used with <option>-l</option>. Default is the standard
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<term><option>-F <replaceable class="parameter">format</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--format=<replaceable class="parameter">format</replaceable></option></term>
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Specify format of the archive. It is not necessary to specify
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the format, since <application>pg_restore</application> will
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determine the format automatically. If specified, it can be
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one of the following:
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<term><literal>d</></term>
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<term><literal>directory</></term>
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The archive is a <command>directory</command> archive.
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<term><literal>t</></term>
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<term><literal>tar</></term>
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The archive is a <command>tar</command> archive.
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<term><literal>c</></term>
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<term><literal>custom</></term>
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The archive is in the custom format of
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<application>pg_dump</application>.
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<term><option>-i</option></term>
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<term><option>--ignore-version</option></term>
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A deprecated option that is now ignored.
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<term><option>-I <replaceable class="parameter">index</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--index=<replaceable class="parameter">index</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore definition of named index only.
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<term><option>-j <replaceable class="parameter">number-of-jobs</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--jobs=<replaceable class="parameter">number-of-jobs</replaceable></option></term>
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Run the most time-consuming parts
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of <application>pg_restore</> — those which load data,
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create indexes, or create constraints — using multiple
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concurrent jobs. This option can dramatically reduce the time
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to restore a large database to a server running on a
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multiprocessor machine.
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Each job is one process or one thread, depending on the
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operating system, and uses a separate connection to the
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The optimal value for this option depends on the hardware
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setup of the server, of the client, and of the network.
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Factors include the number of CPU cores and the disk setup. A
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good place to start is the number of CPU cores on the server,
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but values larger than that can also lead to faster restore
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times in many cases. Of course, values that are too high will
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lead to decreased performance because of thrashing.
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Only the custom archive format is supported with this option.
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The input file must be a regular file (not, for example, a
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pipe). This option is ignored when emitting a script rather
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than connecting directly to a database server. Also, multiple
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jobs cannot be used together with the
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option <option>--single-transaction</option>.
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<term><option>-l</option></term>
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<term><option>--list</option></term>
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List the contents of the archive. The output of this operation
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can be used as input to the <option>-L</option> option. Note that
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if filtering switches such as <option>-n</> or <option>-t</> are
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used with <option>-l</>, they will restrict the items listed.
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<term><option>-L <replaceable class="parameter">list-file</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--use-list=<replaceable class="parameter">list-file</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore only those archive elements that are listed in <replaceable
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class="PARAMETER">list-file</replaceable>, and restore them in the
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order they appear in the file. Note that
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if filtering switches such as <option>-n</> or <option>-t</> are
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used with <option>-L</>, they will further restrict the items restored.
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<replaceable class="PARAMETER">list-file</> is normally created by
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editing the output of a previous <option>-l</> operation.
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Lines can be moved or removed, and can also
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be commented out by placing a semicolon (<literal>;</literal>) at the
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start of the line. See below for examples.
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<term><option>-n <replaceable class="parameter">namespace</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--schema=<replaceable class="parameter">schema</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore only objects that are in the named schema. This can be
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combined with the <option>-t</option> option to restore just a
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<term><option>-O</option></term>
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<term><option>--no-owner</option></term>
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Do not output commands to set
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ownership of objects to match the original database.
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By default, <application>pg_restore</application> issues
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<command>ALTER OWNER</> or
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<command>SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION</command>
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statements to set ownership of created schema elements.
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These statements will fail unless the initial connection to the
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database is made by a superuser
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(or the same user that owns all of the objects in the script).
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With <option>-O</option>, any user name can be used for the
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initial connection, and this user will own all the created objects.
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<term><option>--no-tablespaces</option></term>
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Do not output commands to select tablespaces.
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With this option, all objects will be created in whichever
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tablespace is the default during restore.
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<term><option>--no-security-label</option></term>
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Do not output commands to restore security labels,
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even if the archive contains them.
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<term><option>-P <replaceable class="parameter">function-name(argtype [, ...])</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--function=<replaceable class="parameter">function-name(argtype [, ...])</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore the named function only. Be careful to spell the function
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name and arguments exactly as they appear in the dump file's table
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<term><option>-R</option></term>
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<term><option>--no-reconnect</option></term>
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This option is obsolete but still accepted for backwards
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<term><option>-s</option></term>
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<term><option>--schema-only</option></term>
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Restore only the schema (data definitions), not the data (table
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contents). Current sequence values will not be restored, either.
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(Do not confuse this with the <option>--schema</> option, which
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uses the word <quote>schema</> in a different meaning.)
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<term><option>-S <replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--superuser=<replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></option></term>
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Specify the superuser user name to use when disabling triggers.
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This is only relevant if <option>--disable-triggers</> is used.
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<term><option>-t <replaceable class="parameter">table</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--table=<replaceable class="parameter">table</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore definition and/or data of named table only. This can be
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combined with the <option>-n</option> option to specify a schema.
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<term><option>-T <replaceable class="parameter">trigger</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--trigger=<replaceable class="parameter">trigger</replaceable></option></term>
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Restore named trigger only.
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<term><option>-v</option></term>
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<term><option>--verbose</option></term>
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Specifies verbose mode.
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<term><option>-V</></term>
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<term><option>--version</></term>
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Print the <application>pg_restore</application> version and exit.
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<term><option>-x</option></term>
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<term><option>--no-privileges</option></term>
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<term><option>--no-acl</option></term>
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Prevent restoration of access privileges (grant/revoke commands).
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<term><option>--disable-triggers</></term>
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This option is only relevant when performing a data-only restore.
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It instructs <application>pg_restore</application> to execute commands
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to temporarily disable triggers on the target tables while
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the data is reloaded. Use this if you have referential
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integrity checks or other triggers on the tables that you
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do not want to invoke during data reload.
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Presently, the commands emitted for
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<option>--disable-triggers</> must be done as superuser. So, you
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should also specify a superuser name with <option>-S</>, or
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preferably run <application>pg_restore</application> as a
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<productname>PostgreSQL</> superuser.
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<term><option>--use-set-session-authorization</option></term>
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Output SQL-standard <command>SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION</> commands
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instead of <command>ALTER OWNER</> commands to determine object
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ownership. This makes the dump more standards-compatible, but
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depending on the history of the objects in the dump, might not restore
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<term><option>--no-data-for-failed-tables</option></term>
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By default, table data is restored even if the creation command
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for the table failed (e.g., because it already exists).
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With this option, data for such a table is skipped.
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This behavior is useful if the target database already
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contains the desired table contents. For example,
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auxiliary tables for <productname>PostgreSQL</> extensions
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such as <productname>PostGIS</> might already be loaded in
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the target database; specifying this option prevents duplicate
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or obsolete data from being loaded into them.
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This option is effective only when restoring directly into a
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database, not when producing SQL script output.
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<term><option>-1</option></term>
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<term><option>--single-transaction</option></term>
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Execute the restore as a single transaction (that is, wrap the
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emitted commands in <command>BEGIN</>/<command>COMMIT</>). This
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ensures that either all the commands complete successfully, or no
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changes are applied. This option implies
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<option>--exit-on-error</>.
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<term><option>-?</></term>
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<term><option>--help</></term>
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Show help about <application>pg_restore</application> command line
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<application>pg_restore</application> also accepts
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the following command line arguments for connection parameters:
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<term><option>-h <replaceable class="parameter">host</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--host=<replaceable class="parameter">host</replaceable></option></term>
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Specifies the host name of the machine on which the server is
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running. If the value begins with a slash, it is used as the
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directory for the Unix domain socket. The default is taken
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from the <envar>PGHOST</envar> environment variable, if set,
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else a Unix domain socket connection is attempted.
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<term><option>-p <replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--port=<replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable></option></term>
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Specifies the TCP port or local Unix domain socket file
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extension on which the server is listening for connections.
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Defaults to the <envar>PGPORT</envar> environment variable, if
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set, or a compiled-in default.
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<term><option>-U <replaceable>username</replaceable></option></term>
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<term><option>--username=<replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></option></term>
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User name to connect as.
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<term><option>-w</></term>
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<term><option>--no-password</></term>
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Never issue a password prompt. If the server requires
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password authentication and a password is not available by
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other means such as a <filename>.pgpass</filename> file, the
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connection attempt will fail. This option can be useful in
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batch jobs and scripts where no user is present to enter a
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<term><option>-W</option></term>
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<term><option>--password</option></term>
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Force <application>pg_restore</application> to prompt for a
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password before connecting to a database.
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This option is never essential, since
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<application>pg_restore</application> will automatically prompt
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for a password if the server demands password authentication.
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However, <application>pg_restore</application> will waste a
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connection attempt finding out that the server wants a password.
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In some cases it is worth typing <option>-W</> to avoid the extra
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<term><option>--role=<replaceable class="parameter">rolename</replaceable></option></term>
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Specifies a role name to be used to perform the restore.
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This option causes <application>pg_restore</> to issue a
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<command>SET ROLE</> <replaceable class="parameter">rolename</>
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command after connecting to the database. It is useful when the
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authenticated user (specified by <option>-U</>) lacks privileges
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needed by <application>pg_restore</>, but can switch to a role with
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the required rights. Some installations have a policy against
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logging in directly as a superuser, and use of this option allows
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restores to be performed without violating the policy.
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<title>Environment</title>
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<term><envar>PGHOST</envar></term>
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<term><envar>PGOPTIONS</envar></term>
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<term><envar>PGPORT</envar></term>
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<term><envar>PGUSER</envar></term>
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Default connection parameters
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This utility, like most other <productname>PostgreSQL</> utilities,
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also uses the environment variables supported by <application>libpq</>
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(see <xref linkend="libpq-envars">).
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<refsect1 id="app-pgrestore-diagnostics">
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<title>Diagnostics</title>
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When a direct database connection is specified using the
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<option>-d</option> option, <application>pg_restore</application>
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internally executes <acronym>SQL</acronym> statements. If you have
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problems running <application>pg_restore</application>, make sure
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you are able to select information from the database using, for
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example, <xref linkend="app-psql">. Also, any default connection
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settings and environment variables used by the
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<application>libpq</application> front-end library will apply.
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<refsect1 id="app-pgrestore-notes">
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If your installation has any local additions to the
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<literal>template1</> database, be careful to load the output of
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<application>pg_restore</application> into a truly empty database;
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otherwise you are likely to get errors due to duplicate definitions
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of the added objects. To make an empty database without any local
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additions, copy from <literal>template0</> not <literal>template1</>, for example:
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CREATE DATABASE foo WITH TEMPLATE template0;
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The limitations of <application>pg_restore</application> are detailed below.
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When restoring data to a pre-existing table and the option
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<option>--disable-triggers</> is used,
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<application>pg_restore</application> emits commands
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to disable triggers on user tables before inserting the data, then emits commands to
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re-enable them after the data has been inserted. If the restore is stopped in the
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middle, the system catalogs might be left in the wrong state.
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<application>pg_restore</application> cannot restore large objects
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selectively; for instance, only those for a specific table. If
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an archive contains large objects, then all large objects will be
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restored, or none of them if they are excluded via <option>-L</option>,
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<option>-t</option>, or other options.
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See also the <xref linkend="app-pgdump"> documentation for details on
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limitations of <application>pg_dump</application>.
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Once restored, it is wise to run <command>ANALYZE</> on each
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restored table so the optimizer has useful statistics; see
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<xref linkend="vacuum-for-statistics"> and
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<xref linkend="autovacuum"> for more information.
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<refsect1 id="app-pgrestore-examples">
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<title>Examples</title>
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Assume we have dumped a database called <literal>mydb</> into a
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custom-format dump file:
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>pg_dump -Fc mydb > db.dump</userinput>
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To drop the database and recreate it from the dump:
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>dropdb mydb</userinput>
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>pg_restore -C -d postgres db.dump</userinput>
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The database named in the <option>-d</> switch can be any database existing
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in the cluster; <application>pg_restore</> only uses it to issue the
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<command>CREATE DATABASE</> command for <literal>mydb</>. With
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<option>-C</>, data is always restored into the database name that appears
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To reload the dump into a new database called <literal>newdb</>:
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>createdb -T template0 newdb</userinput>
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>pg_restore -d newdb db.dump</userinput>
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Notice we don't use <option>-C</>, and instead connect directly to the
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database to be restored into. Also note that we clone the new database
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from <literal>template0</> not <literal>template1</>, to ensure it is
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To reorder database items, it is first necessary to dump the table of
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contents of the archive:
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>pg_restore -l db.dump > db.list</userinput>
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The listing file consists of a header and one line for each item, e.g.:
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; Archive created at Mon Sep 14 13:55:39 2009
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; Dump Version: 1.10-0
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; Dumped from database version: 8.3.5
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; Dumped by pg_dump version: 8.3.8
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; Selected TOC Entries:
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3; 2615 2200 SCHEMA - public pasha
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1861; 0 0 COMMENT - SCHEMA public pasha
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1862; 0 0 ACL - public pasha
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317; 1247 17715 TYPE public composite pasha
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319; 1247 25899 DOMAIN public domain0 pasha
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Semicolons start a comment, and the numbers at the start of lines refer to the
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internal archive ID assigned to each item.
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Lines in the file can be commented out, deleted, and reordered. For example:
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10; 145433 TABLE map_resolutions postgres
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;2; 145344 TABLE species postgres
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;4; 145359 TABLE nt_header postgres
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6; 145402 TABLE species_records postgres
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;8; 145416 TABLE ss_old postgres
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could be used as input to <application>pg_restore</application> and would only restore
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items 10 and 6, in that order:
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<prompt>$</prompt> <userinput>pg_restore -L db.list db.dump</userinput>
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<title>See Also</title>
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<simplelist type="inline">
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<member><xref linkend="app-pgdump"></member>
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<member><xref linkend="app-pg-dumpall"></member>
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<member><xref linkend="app-psql"></member>
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doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_restore.sgml
