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Install PostgreSQL on Mac

To create a database on a MacOS machine, we need to install and initialize the PostgreSQL software. To install PostgreSQL on Mac, we will use the popular Homebrew package manager. Starting the local database is a simple process from there.

Install PostgreSQL​

1. Homebrew​

We covered Homebrew installation in the Setup instructions. If you are aware you don't have it installed, install it with the following command:

command line
$ /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

2. Install PostgreSQL​

Using Homebrew, install postgresql. The final command in this series verifies installation by outputting the installed version.

command line
$ brew update
$ brew install postgresql
$ postgres --version

Create a Database​

1. Create a database cluster​

A database cluster is the data storage area that is managed by a database server. In file system terms, it is a single directory in which all data will be saved. There is no default location for a cluster, and it must be set. We will set the location to be /usr/local/var/postgres:

command line
$ initdb /usr/local/var/postgres

You may see the error message: initdb: directory "/usr/local/var/postgres" exists but is not empty. This means the folder you are attempting to create already exists. You are safe to move on to the next step.

2. Start the database server​

The command pg_ctl is used to control PostgreSQL database servers. pg_ctl start starts a database server. We must also pass the -D flag to specify to which data directory the server process should save the data. Use the cluster initialized in the previous step as the data directory.

command line
$ pg_ctl start -D /usr/local/var/postgres

This command starts the database server as a background process and returns function of the terminal interface to the user.

While you should leave the Postgres server running during development of smartsite, if you'd like to stop the database server, use the similar pg_ctl stop command, and restart it with pg_ctl start when desired. Remember to pass the -D option.

command line
$ pg_ctl stop -D /usr/local/var/postgres

3. Create a database​

In your local environment, you will want a database named after your MacOS user and likely a separate database for each application you develop within locally. For smartsite, we will use a Node.js utility to create the application specific database. For now, create a database named after your MacOS user with the PostgreSQL utility command createdb.

command line
$ createdb $USER

References​

The pg_ctl command - https://www.postgresql.org/docs

Managing Postgres users and privileges: https://kb.objectrocket.com/postgresql

PostgreSQL Security Best Practices: https://resources.2ndquadrant.com