Error with starting PostgreSQL database on macOS

Question

I am running the latest version of macOS Sierra and I installed PostgreSQL via brew. Then I ran the command:

pg_ctl -D /Users/tmo/PSQL-data -l logfile start

but received for output:

waiting for server to start..../bin/sh: logfile: Permission denied
 stopped waiting
pg_ctl: could not start server
Examine the log output.

EDIT: After restarting my operating system and rerunning the command... I'm now receiving a slightly modified output... but the modification is significant.

waiting for server to start.... stopped waiting
pg_ctl: could not start server
Examine the log output.

Where is the "log output" stored?
How do I make this command work?

Stephen Rauch · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-18 02:27:17Z

1

The problem could be one of two things, that I can see:

A typo in your database path:
- /Users/tmo/PSQL-data --> /Users/tmp/PSQL-data
If the above was just a transcription error, I would guess that your postgres user doesn't have write access to the directory where you are setting the logfile. The argument following the -l switch tells PG where to save the logfile. When you don't provide the -l switch with a path, but just a filename, it will use the same dir you use to specify the database cluster (with the -D flag). So in this case, PG is trying to write to /Users/tmp/PSQL-data/logfile, and getting a permission error.

To fix this, I would try:

If the directory /Users/tmp/PSQL-data/ doesn't exist:
```
sudo mkdir /Users/tmp/PSQL-data
```

Then create the logfile manually:

sudo touch /Users/tmp/PSQL-data/logfile

Then make the postgres user own the file (I'm assuming user is postgres here)
```
sudo chown postgres /Users/tmp/PSQL-data/logfile
```

Try again, and hopefully you can launch the server.

Caveat: I'm not a macOS user, so I'm not sure how the /tmp folder behaves. If it is periodically cleared, you may want to specify a different logfile location, so that you don't need to create and chown the file each time you need to launch the cluster.

edited Jul 18, 2018 at 2:27

Stephen Rauch♦

50.1k32 gold badges118 silver badges143 bronze badges

answered Jul 18, 2018 at 2:04

kmac

262 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

myradio Over a year ago

"When you don't provide the -l switch with a path, but just a filename, it will use the same dir you use to specify the database cluster (with the -D flag)." In my experience it uses the current directory instead.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Error with starting PostgreSQL database on macOS

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

1 Comment

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related