---
stage: Systems
group: Distribution
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Database settings

DETAILS:
**Tier:** Free, Premium, Ultimate
**Offering:** Self-managed

GitLab supports only the PostgreSQL database management system.

Thus you have two options for database servers to use with a Linux package installation:

- Use the packaged PostgreSQL server included with the Linux package installation (no
  configuration required, recommended).
- Use an [external PostgreSQL server](#using-a-non-packaged-postgresql-database-management-server).

## Using the PostgreSQL database service shipped with the Linux package

### Reconfigure and PostgreSQL restarts

Linux package installations normally restart any service on reconfigure if configuration settings for that service were
changed in the `gitlab.rb` file. PostgreSQL is unique in that some of its settings take effect
with a reload (HUP), while others require PostgreSQL to be restarted. Because administrators
frequently want more control over exactly when PostgreSQL is restarted, Linux package installations are configured
to do a reload of PostgreSQL on reconfigure, and not a restart. This means that if you modify any
PostgreSQL setting that requires a restart, you will need to restart PostgreSQL manually after you
reconfigure.

The [GitLab config template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab/blob/master/files/gitlab-config-template/gitlab.rb.template)
identifies which PostgreSQL settings require a restart and which require only a reload. You can also
run a query against your database to determine if any individual setting requires a restart. Start a
database console with `sudo gitlab-psql`, then replace `<setting name>` in the following query
with the setting you are changing:

```sql
SELECT name,setting FROM pg_settings WHERE context = 'postmaster' AND name = '<setting name>';
```

If changing the setting will require a restart, the query will return the name of the setting and the current value
of that setting in the running PostgreSQL instance.

#### Automatic restart when the PostgreSQL version changes

By default, Linux package installations automatically restart PostgreSQL when the underlying
version changes, as suggested by the [upstream documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/upgrading.html).
This behavior can be controlled using the `auto_restart_on_version_change` setting
available for `postgresql` and `geo-postgresql`.

To disable automatic restarts when the PostgreSQL version changes:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and add the following line:

   ```ruby
   # For PostgreSQL/Patroni
   postgresql['auto_restart_on_version_change'] = false

   # For Geo PostgreSQL
   geo_postgresql['auto_restart_on_version_change'] = false
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

NOTE:
It is highly recommended to restart PostgreSQL when the underlying version changes,
to avoid errors like the [one related to loading necessary libraries](#could-not-load-library-plpgsqlso).

### Configuring SSL

Linux package installations automatically enable SSL on the PostgreSQL server, but it will accept
both encrypted and unencrypted connections by default. Enforcing SSL requires
using the `hostssl` configuration in `pg_hba.conf`. For more details, see the
[`pg_hba.conf` documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/14/auth-pg-hba-conf.html).

SSL support depends on the following files:

- The public SSL certificate for the database (`server.crt`).
- The corresponding private key for the SSL certificate (`server.key`).
- A root certificate bundle that validates the server's certificate (`root.crt`).
  By default, Linux package installations use the embedded certificate bundle in
  `/opt/gitlab/embedded/ssl/certs/cacert.pem`. This isn't required for
  self-signed certificates.

A 10-year self-signed certificate and private key are generated by a Linux package installation for use. If you'd
prefer to use a CA-signed certificate or replace this with your own self-signed certificate, use the following steps.

Note that the location of these files can be configurable, but the private key
_must_ be readable by the `gitlab-psql` user. Linux package installations manage the permissions of
the files for you, but if the paths are customized, you *must* ensure that the
`gitlab-psql` can access the directory in the files are placed in.

For more details, see the [PostgreSQL documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/ssl-tcp.html).

Note that `server.crt` and `server.key` may be different from the default SSL
certificates used to access GitLab. For example, suppose the external hostname
of your database is `database.example.com`, and your external GitLab hostname
is `gitlab.example.com`. You will either need a wildcard certificate for
`*.example.com` or two different SSL certificates.

The `ssl_cert_file`, `ssl_key_file`, and `ssl_ca_file` files direct PostgreSQL to where
on the filesystem to find the certificate, key, and bundle. These changes are applied to
`postgresql.conf`. The directives `internal_certificate` and `internal_key` are used to
populate the contents of these files. The contents can be added directly or
loaded from file as shown in the following example.

After you have these files, enable SSL:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   postgresql['ssl_cert_file'] = '/custom/path/to/server.crt'
   postgresql['ssl_key_file'] = '/custom/path/to/server.key'
   postgresql['ssl_ca_file'] = '/custom/path/to/bundle.pem'
   postgresql['internal_certificate'] = File.read('/custom/path/to/server.crt')
   postgresql['internal_key'] = File.read('/custom/path/to/server.key')
   ```

   Relative paths will be rooted in the PostgreSQL data directory
   (`/var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data` by default).

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) to apply the configuration changes.

1. Restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect:

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

   If PostgreSQL fails to start, check the logs (for example,
   `/var/log/gitlab/postgresql/current`) for more details.

#### Require SSL

1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

    ```ruby
    gitlab_rails['db_sslmode'] = 'require'
    ```

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) to apply the configuration changes.

1. Restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect:

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

   If PostgreSQL fails to start, check the logs (for example,
   `/var/log/gitlab/postgresql/current`) for more details.

#### Disabling SSL

1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   postgresql['ssl'] = 'off'
   ```

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) to apply the configuration changes.

1. Restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect:

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

   If PostgreSQL fails to start, check the logs (for example,
   `/var/log/gitlab/postgresql/current`) for more details.

#### Verifying that SSL is being used

To determine whether SSL is being used by clients, you can run:

```shell
sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole --database main
```

At startup, you should see a banner as the following:

```plaintext
psql (13.14)
SSL connection (protocol: TLSv1.2, cipher: ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, bits: 256, compression: on)
Type "help" for help.
```

To determine if clients are using SSL, issue this SQL query:

```sql
SELECT * FROM pg_stat_ssl;
```

For example:

```plaintext
gitlabhq_production=> select * from pg_stat_ssl;
 pid  | ssl | version |         cipher         | bits | compression |  clientdn
------+-----+---------+------------------------+------+-------------+------------
  384 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
  386 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
  998 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
  933 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
 1003 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1016 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1022 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1211 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1214 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1213 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1215 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
 1252 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           |
 1280 | t   | TLSv1.3 | TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |  256 | f           | /CN=gitlab
  382 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
  381 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
  383 | f   |         |                        |      |             |
(16 rows)
```

1. Rows that have `t` listed under the `ssl` column are enabled.
1. Rows that have a value in the `clientdn` are using the `cert` authentication method

#### Configure SSL client authentication

Client SSL certificates can be used to authenticate to the database server. Creating the certificates
is beyond the scope of `omnibus-gitlab`. But users who have an existing SSL certificate management solution
can use this.

##### Configure the database server

1. Create a certificate and key for the server, the common name should equal the DNS name of the server
1. Copy the server certificate, key, and CA file to the PostgreSQL server, and ensure the permissions are correct
   1. The certificate should be owned by the database user (default: `gitlab-psql`)
   1. The key file should be owned by the database user, and its permissions should be `0400`
   1. The CA file should be owned by the database user, and its permissions should be `0400`

   NOTE:
   Don't use the file names `server.crt` or `server.key` for these files. These
   file names are reserved for the internal use of `omnibus-gitlab`.

1. Ensure the following is set in `gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   postgresql['ssl_cert_file'] = 'PATH_TO_CERTIFICATE'
   postgresql['ssl_key_file'] = 'PATH_TO_KEY_FILE'
   postgresql['ssl_ca_file'] = 'PATH_TO_CA_FILE'
   postgresql['listen_address'] = 'IP_ADDRESS'
   postgresql['cert_auth_addresses'] = {
   'IP_ADDRESS' => {
     'database' => 'gitlabhq_production',
     'user' => 'gitlab'
   }
   ```

   Set `listen_address` as the IP address of the server that the clients will use
   to connect to the database.
   Ensure `cert_auth_addresses` contains a list of IP addresses and the
   databases and users that are allowed to connect to the database. You can use
   CIDR notation when specifying the key for `cert_auth_addresses` to
   incorporate an IP address range.

1. Run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`, and then `gitlab-ctl restart postgresql` for
   the new settings to take effect.

#### Configure the Rails client

For the rails client to connect to the server, you will need a certificate and key with the `commonName` set to `gitlab`, which is signed by a certificate authority trusted in the CA file specified in `ssl_ca_file` on the database server.

1. Configure `gitlab.rb`

   ```ruby
   gitlab_rails['db_host'] = 'IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME_OF_DATABASE_SERVER'
   gitlab_rails['db_sslcert'] = 'PATH_TO_CERTIFICATE_FILE'
   gitlab_rails['db_sslkey'] = 'PATH_TO_KEY_FILE'
   gitlab_rails['db_rootcert'] = 'PATH_TO_CA_FILE'
   ```

1. Run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure` for the rails client to use the new settings
1. Follow the steps in [Verifying that SSL is being used](#verifying-that-ssl-is-being-used) to ensure the authentication is working.

### Configure packaged PostgreSQL server to listen on TCP/IP

The packaged PostgreSQL server can be configured to listen for TCP/IP connections,
with the caveat that some non-critical scripts expect UNIX sockets and may misbehave.

To configure the use of TCP/IP for the database service, make changes to both
the `postgresql` and `gitlab_rails` sections of `gitlab.rb`.

#### Configure PostgreSQL block

The following settings are affected in the `postgresql` block:

- `listen_address`: Controls the address on which PostgreSQL will listen.
- `port`: Controls the port on which PostgreSQL listens to. The default is `5432`.
- `md5_auth_cidr_addresses`: A list of CIDR address blocks that are allowed to
  connect to the server, after authentication with a password.
- `trust_auth_cidr_addresses`: A list of CIDR address blocks that are allowed
  to connect to the server, without authentication of any kind. You should
  only set this setting to allow connections from nodes that need to connect,
  such as GitLab Rails or Sidekiq. This includes local connections when deployed
  on the same node or from components such as Postgres Exporter (`127.0.0.1/32`).
- `sql_user`: Controls the expected username for MD5 authentication. This
  defaults to `gitlab`, and isn't a required setting.
- `sql_user_password`: Sets the password that PostgreSQL will accept for MD5
  authentication. Replace `securesqlpassword` in the following example with an
  acceptable password.

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   postgresql['listen_address'] = '0.0.0.0'
   postgresql['port'] = 5432
   postgresql['md5_auth_cidr_addresses'] = %w()
   postgresql['trust_auth_cidr_addresses'] = %w(127.0.0.1/24)
   postgresql['sql_user'] = "gitlab"

   ##! SQL_USER_PASSWORD_HASH can be generated using the command `gitlab-ctl pg-password-md5 'gitlab'`,
   ##! where 'gitlab' (single-quoted to avoid shell interpolation) is the name of the SQL user that connects to GitLab.
   postgresql['sql_user_password'] = "SQL_USER_PASSWORD_HASH"

   # force ssl on all connections defined in trust_auth_cidr_addresses and md5_auth_cidr_addresses
   postgresql['hostssl'] = true
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab and restart PostrgreSQL:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

Any client or GitLab service which will connect over the network will need to
provide the values of `sql_user` for the username, and password provided to the
configuration when connecting to the PostgreSQL server. They must also be in the
network block provided to `md5_auth_cidr_addresses`

#### Configure GitLab Rails block

To configure the `gitlab-rails` application to connect to the PostgreSQL database
over the network, several settings must be configured:

- `db_host`: Needs to be set to the IP address of the database server. If this is
  on the same instance as the PostgreSQL service, this can be `127.0.0.1` and _will
  not require_ password authentication.
- `db_port`: Sets the port on the PostgreSQL server to connect to, and _must be set_
  if `db_host` is set.
- `db_username`: Configures the username with which to connect to PostgreSQL. This
  defaults to `gitlab`.
- `db_password`: Must be provided if connecting to PostgreSQL over TCP/IP, and from
  an instance in the `postgresql['md5_auth_cidr_addresses']` block from settings
  above. This is not required if you are connecting to `127.0.0.1` and have configured
  `postgresql['trust_auth_cidr_addresses']` to include it.

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   gitlab_rails['db_host'] = '127.0.0.1'
   gitlab_rails['db_port'] = 5432
   gitlab_rails['db_username'] = "gitlab"
   gitlab_rails['db_password'] = "securesqlpassword"
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab and restart PostrgreSQL:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

#### Apply and restart services

After making the previous changes, an administrator should run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`.
If you experience any issues in regards to the service not listening on TCP, try
directly restarting the service with `gitlab-ctl restart postgresql`.

Some included scripts of the Linux package (such as `gitlab-psql`) expect the
connections to PostgreSQL to be handled over the UNIX socket, and may not function
properly. You can enable TCP/IP without disabling UNIX sockets.

### Enabling PostgreSQL WAL (Write Ahead Log) Archiving

By default, WAL archiving of the packaged PostgreSQL isn't enabled. Consider the
following when seeking to enable WAL archiving:

- The WAL level needs to be 'replica' or higher (9.6+ options are `minimal`,
  `replica`, or `logical`)
- Increasing the WAL level will increase the amount of storage consumed in
  regular operations

To enable WAL Archiving:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   # Replication settings
   postgresql['sql_replication_user'] = "gitlab_replicator"
   postgresql['wal_level'] = "replica"
       ...
       ...
   # Backup/Archive settings
   postgresql['archive_mode'] = "on"
   postgresql['archive_command'] = "/your/wal/archiver/here"
   postgresql['archive_timeout'] = "60"
   ```

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. This will result in a database restart.

### Store PostgreSQL data in a different directory

By default, everything is stored under `/var/opt/gitlab/postgresql`, controlled
by the `postgresql['dir']` attribute.

This consists of:

- The database socket will be `/var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.5432`. This
  is controlled by `postgresql['unix_socket_directory']`.
- The `gitlab-psql` system user will have its `HOME` directory set to this. This
  is controlled by `postgresql['home']`.
- The actual data will be stored in `/var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data`.

To change the location of the PostgreSQL data

WARNING:
If you have an existing database, you need to move the data to the new location
first.

WARNING:
This is an intrusive operation. It cannot be done without downtime on an
existing installation

1. If this is an existing installation, stop GitLab: `gitlab-ctl stop`.
1. Update `postgresql['dir']` to the desired location.
1. Run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`.
1. Start GitLab `gitlab-ctl start`.

### Upgrade packaged PostgreSQL server

The Linux package provides the `gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade` command to update the
packaged PostgreSQL server to a later version (if one is included in the
package). This updates PostgreSQL to the [default shipped version](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html)
during package upgrades, unless specifically [opted out](#opt-out-of-automatic-postgresql-upgrades).

Before upgrading GitLab to a newer version, refer to the [version-specific changes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/#version-specific-upgrading-instructions)
of the Linux package to see either:

- When a database version has changed.
- When an upgrade is warranted.

WARNING:
Before upgrading, it's important that you fully read this section before running any commands. For
single-node installations, this upgrade needs downtime, as the database must be
down while the upgrade is being performed. The length of time depends on the
size of your database.

NOTE:
If you encounter any problems during the upgrade, raise an issue with a full
description at the [`omnibus-gitlab` issue tracker](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab).

To upgrade the PostgreSQL version, be sure that:

- You're running the latest version of GitLab that supports your current version of PostgreSQL.
- If you recently upgraded, you ran `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` successfully
  before you proceed.
- You have sufficient disk space for two copies of your database. _Do not attempt
  to upgrade unless you have enough free space available._

  - Check your database size using `sudo du -sh /var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data`
    (or update your database path).
  - Check the space available using `sudo df -h`. If the partition where the
    database resides doesn't have enough space, pass the argument `--tmp-dir $DIR`
    to the command. The upgrade task includes an available disk space check and aborts
    the upgrade if the requirements aren't met.

After you confirm that the above checklist is satisfied, you can proceed with
the upgrade:

```shell
sudo gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade
```

To upgrade to a specific PostgreSQL version, use the `-V` flag to append the
version. For example, to upgrade to PostgreSQL 14:

```shell
sudo gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade -V 14
```

NOTE:
`pg-upgrade` can take arguments; for example, you can set the timeout for the
execution of the underlying commands (`--timeout=1d2h3m4s5ms`). Run `gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade -h`
to see the full list.

`gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade` performs the following steps:

1. Checks to ensure the database is in a known good state.
1. Checks if there's enough free disk space and abort otherwise. You can skip this by appending the `--skip-disk-check` flag.
1. Shuts down the existing database and any unnecessary services, and enables GitLab to deploy page.
1. Changes the symlinks in `/opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/` for PostgreSQL to point to the newer version of the database.
1. Creates a new directory containing a new, empty database with a locale matching the existing database.
1. Uses the `pg_upgrade` tool to copy the data from the old database to the new database.
1. Moves the old database out of the way.
1. Moves the new database to the expected location.
1. Calls `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to do the required configuration changes and starts the new database server.
1. Runs `ANALYZE` to generate database statistics.
1. Starts the remaining services and removes the deploy page.
1. If any errors are detected during this process, it reverts to the old version of the database.

After the upgrade is complete, verify that everything is working as expected.

If there was an error in the output while running the `ANALYZE` step, your upgrade
will still be working but will have poor database performance until the
database statistics are generated. Use `gitlab-psql` to determine whether `ANALYZE` should be run manually:

```shell
sudo gitlab-psql -c "SELECT relname, last_analyze, last_autoanalyze FROM pg_stat_user_tables WHERE last_analyze IS NULL AND last_autoanalyze IS NULL;"
```

You can run `ANALYZE` manually if the query above returned any rows:

```shell
sudo gitlab-psql -c 'SET statement_timeout = 0; ANALYZE VERBOSE;'
```

_After you have verified that your GitLab instance is running correctly_, you
can clean up the old database files:

```shell
sudo rm -rf /var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data.<old_version>
sudo rm -f /var/opt/gitlab/postgresql-version.old
```

You can find details of PostgreSQL versions shipped with various GitLab versions
in [PostgreSQL versions shipped with the Linux package](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html).

#### Opt out of automatic PostgreSQL upgrades

To opt out of automatic PostgreSQL upgrades during GitLab package upgrades, run:

```shell
sudo touch /etc/gitlab/disable-postgresql-upgrade
```

### Revert packaged PostgreSQL server to the previous version

WARNING:
This operation will revert your current database, _including its data_, to its state
before your last upgrade. Be sure to create a backup before attempting to downgrade
your packaged PostgreSQL database.

On GitLab versions which ship multiple PostgreSQL versions, users can downgrade
an already upgraded PostgreSQL version to the earlier version using the `gitlab-ctl
revert-pg-upgrade` command. This command also supports the `-V` flag to specify
a target version for scenarios where more than two PostgreSQL versions are shipped in
the package (for example: GitLab 12.8 where PostgreSQL 9.6.x, 10.x, and 11.x are
shipped).

To specify a target PostgreSQL version of 12:

```shell
gitlab-ctl revert-pg-upgrade -V 12
```

If the target version is not specified, it will use the version in `/var/opt/gitlab/postgresql-version.old`
if available. Otherwise, it falls back to the default version shipped with GitLab.

On other GitLab versions that ship only one PostgreSQL version, you can't
downgrade your PostgreSQL version. You must downgrade GitLab to an older version for
this.

### Configuring multiple database connections

> - The `gitlab:db:decomposition:connection_status` Rake task was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111927) in GitLab 15.11.
> - Support for single database will be [removed in GitLab 18.0](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/deprecations.html#running-a-single-database-is-deprecated).

In GitLab 16.0, GitLab defaults to using two database connections that point to the same PostgreSQL database.

Before upgrading to GitLab 16.0, check that the PostgreSQL `max_connections` setting is high enough so that more than 50% of available connections show as being unused.
For example, if `max_connections` is set to 100 and you see 75 connections in use, you must increase `max_connections` to at least 150 before upgrading because after
upgrading, the in-use connections will double to 150.

You can verify this by running the following Rake task:

```shell
sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:db:decomposition:connection_status
```

If the task indicates that `max_connections` is high enough, then you can proceed with the upgrade.

## Using a non-packaged PostgreSQL database management server

By default, GitLab is configured to use the PostgreSQL server that's included
in the Linux package. You can also reconfigure it to use an external instance of
PostgreSQL.

WARNING:
If you are using a non-packaged PostgreSQL server, you need to make
sure that PostgreSQL is set up according to the [database requirements document](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/install/requirements.html#database).

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   # Disable the built-in Postgres
   postgresql['enable'] = false

   # Fill in the connection details for database.yml
   gitlab_rails['db_adapter'] = 'postgresql'
   gitlab_rails['db_encoding'] = 'utf8'
   gitlab_rails['db_host'] = '127.0.0.1'
   gitlab_rails['db_port'] = 5432
   gitlab_rails['db_username'] = 'USERNAME'
   gitlab_rails['db_password'] = 'PASSWORD'
   ```

   Don't forget to remove the `#` comment characters at the beginning of these
   lines.

   Note that:

   - `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` should have file permissions `0600` because it contains
     plain-text passwords.
   - PostgreSQL allows listening on [multiple addresses](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/runtime-config-connection.html)

     If you use multiple addresses in `gitlab_rails['db_host']`, comma-separated, the first address in the list will be used for the connection.

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect.

1. [Seed the database](#seed-the-database-fresh-installs-only).

### UNIX socket configuration for non-packaged PostgreSQL

If you want to use your system's PostgreSQL server (installed on the same system
as GitLab) instead of the one bundled with GitLab, you can do so by using a UNIX
socket:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   # Disable the built-in Postgres
   postgresql['enable'] = false

   # Fill in the connection details for database.yml
   gitlab_rails['db_adapter'] = 'postgresql'
   gitlab_rails['db_encoding'] = 'utf8'
   # The path where the socket lives
   gitlab_rails['db_host'] = '/var/run/postgresql/'
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab for the changes to take effect:

   ```ruby
   sudo gitlab-ctl-reconfigure
   ```

### Configuring SSL

#### Require SSL

1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   gitlab_rails['db_sslmode'] = 'require'
   ```

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) to apply the configuration changes.

1. Restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect:

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

   If PostgreSQL fails to start, check the logs (for example,
   `/var/log/gitlab/postgresql/current`) for more details.

#### Require SSL and verify server certificate against CA bundle

PostgreSQL can be configured to require SSL and verify the server certificate
against a CA bundle to prevent spoofing.
The CA bundle that's specified in `gitlab_rails['db_sslrootcert']` must contain
both the root and intermediate certificates.

1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   gitlab_rails['db_sslmode'] = "verify-full"
   gitlab_rails['db_sslrootcert'] = "<full_path_to_your_ca-bundle.pem>"
   ```

   If you are using Amazon RDS for your PostgreSQL server, ensure you
   download and use the [combined CA bundle](https://s3.amazonaws.com/rds-downloads/rds-combined-ca-bundle.pem)
   for `gitlab_rails['db_sslrootcert']`. More information on this can be found
   in the [using SSL/TLS to Encrypt a Connection to a DB Instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/UsingWithRDS.SSL.html)
   article on AWS.

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) to apply the configuration changes.

1. Restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect:

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl restart postgresql
   ```

   If PostgreSQL fails to start, check the logs (for example,
   `/var/log/gitlab/postgresql/current`) for more details.

### Backup and restore a non-packaged PostgreSQL database

When using the [backup](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#backup-command)
and [restore](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/restore_gitlab.html#restore-for-linux-package-installations)
commands, GitLab will
attempt to use the packaged `pg_dump` command to create a database backup file
and the packaged `psql` command to restore a backup. This will only work if
they are the correct versions. Check the versions of the packaged `pg_dump` and
`psql`:

```shell
/opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/pg_dump --version
/opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/psql --version
```

If these versions are different from your non-packaged external PostgreSQL, you may encounter the following error output when attempting to run the [backup command](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#backup-command).

```plaintext
Dumping PostgreSQL database gitlabhq_production ... pg_dump: error: server version: 13.3; pg_dump version: 12.6
pg_dump: error: aborting because of server version mismatch
```

In this example, the error occurs on GitLab 14.1 when using PostgreSQL version 13.3, instead of the [default shipped PostgreSQL version](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html) of 12.6.

In this case, you will need to install tools that match your database version and then follow the
steps below. There are multiple ways to install PostgreSQL client tools. See
<https://www.postgresql.org/download/> for options.

Once the correct `psql` and `pg_dump` tools are available on your system, follow
these steps, using the correct path to the location you installed the new tools:

1. Add symbolic links to the non-packaged versions:

   ```shell
   ln -s /path/to/new/pg_dump /path/to/new/psql /opt/gitlab/bin/
   ```

1. Check the versions:

   ```shell
   /opt/gitlab/bin/pg_dump --version
   /opt/gitlab/bin/psql --version
   ```

   They should now be the same as your non-packaged external PostgreSQL.

After this is done, ensure that the backup and restore tasks are using the
correct executables by running both the [backup](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#backup-command) and
[restore](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/restore_gitlab.html#restore-for-linux-package-installations) commands.

### Upgrade a non-packaged PostgreSQL database

You can upgrade the external database after stopping all the processes that are connected to the database (Puma, Sidekiq):

```shell
sudo gitlab-ctl stop puma
sudo gitlab-ctl stop sidekiq
```

Before proceeding with the upgrade, note the following:

- Check compatibility between GitLab releases and PostgreSQL versions:
  - Read about which GitLab versions introduced a requirement for a
    [minimum PostgreSQL version](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/install/requirements.html#postgresql-requirements).
  - Read about significant changes to the PostgreSQL versions which
    [shipped with the Linux package](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html):
    The Linux package is tested for compatibility with the major releases of PostgreSQL that it ships with.
- When using GitLab backup or restore, you _must_ keep the same version of GitLab.
  If you plan to upgrade to a later GitLab version as well, upgrade PostgreSQL first.
- The [backup and restore commands](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#backup-command)
  can be used to back up and restore the database to a later version of PostgreSQL.
- If a PostgreSQL version is specified with `postgresql['version']` that doesn't ship
  with that Linux package release, the
  [default version in the compatibility table](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html)
  determines which client binaries (such as the PostgreSQL backup/restore binaries) are active.

The following example demonstrates upgrading from a database host running PostgreSQL 13 to another database host running PostgreSQL 14 and incurs downtime:

1. Spin up a new PostgreSQL 14 database server that's set up according to the [database requirements](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/install/requirements.html#database).

1. Ensure that the compatible versions of `pg_dump` and `pg_restore` are being
   used on the GitLab Rails instance. To amend GitLab configuration, edit
   `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and specify the value of `postgresql['version']`:

    ```ruby
    postgresql['version'] = 14
    ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

1. Stop GitLab (note that this step causes downtime):

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl stop
   ```

WARNING:
The backup command requires [additional parameters](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#back-up-and-restore-for-installations-using-pgbouncer)
when your installation is using PgBouncer.

1. Run the backup Rake task using the SKIP options to back up only the database.
   Make a note of the backup file name; you'll use it later to restore.

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-backup create SKIP=repositories,uploads,builds,artifacts,lfs,pages,registry
   ```

1. Shutdown the PostgreSQL 13 database host.

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and update the `gitlab_rails['db_host']` setting
   to point to the PostgreSQL database 14 host.

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

   WARNING:
   The backup command requires [additional parameters](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#back-up-and-restore-for-installations-using-pgbouncer)
   when your installation is using PgBouncer.

1. Restore the database using the database backup file created earlier, and be
   sure to answer **no** when asked "This task will now rebuild the authorized_keys file":

   ```shell
   # Use the backup timestamp https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/backup_restore/backup_gitlab.html#backup-timestamp
   sudo gitlab-backup restore BACKUP=<backup-timestamp>
   ```

1. Start GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl start
   ```

1. After upgrading PostgreSQL to a new major release, recreate the table statistics to ensure efficient query plans are picked and
   to reduce database server CPU load.

   If the upgrade was "in-place" using `pg_upgrade`, run the following query on the PostgreSQL database console:

   ```SQL
   SET statement_timeout = 0; ANALYZE VERBOSE;
   ```

   If the upgrade used `pg_dump` and `pg_restore`, run the following query on the PostgreSQL database console:

   ```SQL
   SET statement_timeout = 0; VACUUM ANALYZE VERBOSE;
   ```

### Seed the database (fresh installs only)

WARNING:
This is a destructive command; do not run it on an existing database.

The Linux package installation does not seed your external database. Run the following command
to import the schema and create the first administration user:

```shell
# Remove 'sudo' if you are the 'git' user
sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:setup
```

If you want to specify a password for the default `root` user, specify the
`initial_root_password` setting in `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` before running the
`gitlab:setup` command above:

```ruby
gitlab_rails['initial_root_password'] = 'nonstandardpassword'
```

If you want to specify the initial registration token for shared GitLab Runners,
specify the `initial_shared_runners_registration_token` setting in `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`
before running the `gitlab:setup` command:

```ruby
gitlab_rails['initial_shared_runners_registration_token'] = 'token'
```

### Pin the packaged PostgreSQL version (fresh installs only)

The Linux package ships with [different PostgreSQL versions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html)
and initializes the default version if not specified otherwise.

To initialize PostgreSQL with a non-default version, you can set `postgresql['version']` to the major version one of
the [packaged PostgreSQL versions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/package_information/postgresql_versions.html) prior to the initial reconfigure.
For example, in GitLab 15.0 you can use `postgresql['version'] = 12` to use PostgreSQL 12 instead of the default of PostgreSQL 13.

WARNING:
Setting `postgresql['version']` while using the PostgreSQL packaged with the Linux package after the initial reconfigure will
throw errors about the data directory being initialized on a different version of PostgreSQL. If this is encountered,
see [Revert packaged PostgreSQL server to the previous version](#revert-packaged-postgresql-server-to-the-previous-version).

If you are doing a fresh install on an environment that previously had GitLab installed on it and you are using a pinned PostgreSQL version, first make
sure that any folders that relate to PostgreSQL are deleted and that there are no PostgreSQL processes running on the instance.

## Provide sensitive data configuration to GitLab Rails without plain text storage

For more information, see the example in [configuration documentation](../settings/configuration.md#provide-the-postgresql-user-password-to-gitlab-rails).

## Application Settings for the Database

### Disabling automatic database migration

If you have multiple GitLab servers sharing a database, you will want to limit the
number of nodes that are performing the migration steps during reconfiguration.

Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` to append:

```ruby
# Enable or disable automatic database migrations
# on all hosts except the designated deploy node
gitlab_rails['auto_migrate'] = false
```

`/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` should have file permissions `0600` because it contains
plain-text passwords.

The next time hosts carrying the above configuration are reconfigured, the migration steps are not performed.

To avoid schema-related post-upgrade errors, the host marked as [the deploy node](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/zero_downtime.html#multi-node--ha-deployment) must have `gitlab_rails['auto_migrate'] = true` during upgrades.

### Setting client statement_timeout

The amount of time that Rails will wait for a database transaction to complete
before timing out can now be adjusted with the `gitlab_rails['db_statement_timeout']`
setting. By default, this setting is not used.

Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

```ruby
gitlab_rails['db_statement_timeout'] = 45000
```

In this case, the client `statement_timeout` is set to 45 seconds. The value
is specified in milliseconds.

### Setting connection timeout

The amount of time that Rails will wait for a PostgreSQL connection attempt to succeed
before timing out can be adjusted with the `gitlab_rails['db_connect_timeout']`
setting. By default, this setting is not used:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   gitlab_rails['db_connect_timeout'] = 5
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

In this case, the client `connect_timeout` is set to 5 seconds. The value
is specified in seconds. A minimum value of 2 seconds applies. Setting this to `<= 0`
or not specifying the setting at all disables the timeout.

### Setting TCP controls

The Rails PostgreSQL adapter provides a series of TCP connection controls
that may be tuned to improve performance. Consult the
[PostgreSQL upstream documentation for more information about each parameter](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/libpq-connect.html#LIBPQ-KEEPALIVES).

The Linux package sets no defaults for these values and instead uses the defaults
provided by the PostgreSQL adapter. Override them in `gitlab.rb` using the
parameters noted in the table below and then run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`.

| PostgreSQL parameter | `gitlab.rb` parameter |
|-|-|
| `keepalives` | `gitlab_rails['db_keepalives']` |
| `keepalives_idle` | `gitlab_rails['db_keepalives_idle']` |
| `keepalives_interval` | `gitlab_rails['db_keepalives_interval']` |
| `keepalives_count` | `gitlab_rails['db_keepalives_count']` |
| `tcp_user_timeout` | `gitlab_rails['db_tcp_user_timeout']` |

## Automatic database reindexing

WARNING:
This is an experimental feature that isn't enabled by default.

Recreates database indexes in the background (called "reindexing"). This can
be used to remove bloated space that has accumulated in indexes and helps to maintain healthy and
efficient indexes.

The reindexing task can be started regularly through a cronjob. To configure the cronjob,
`gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['enable']` should be set to `true`.

In a multi-node environment, this feature should only be enabled on an application host.
The reindexing process cannot go through PgBouncer, it has to have a direct database connection.

By default, this starts the cronjob every hour during weekends (likely a low-traffic time) only.

You can change the schedule by refining the following settings:

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```shell
   gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['hour'] = '*'
   gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['minute'] = 0
   gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['month'] = '*'
   gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['day_of_month'] = '*'
   gitlab_rails['database_reindexing']['day_of_week'] = '0,6'
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

## Packaged PostgreSQL deployed in an HA/Geo Cluster

### Upgrading a GitLab HA cluster

To upgrade the PostgreSQL version in a Patroni cluster see [Upgrading PostgreSQL major version in a Patroni cluster](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/postgresql/replication_and_failover.html#upgrading-postgresql-major-version-in-a-patroni-cluster).

### Upgrading a GitLab HA Repmgr cluster

NOTE:
If you are upgrading to PostgreSQL 12, you need to switch from Repmgr to Patroni first see [Switching from Repmgr to Patroni](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/postgresql/replication_and_failover.html#switching-from-repmgr-to-patroni).

These instructions are provided for upgrading an older GitLab cluster to PostgreSQL 11 when using Repmgr.

If [PostgreSQL is configured for high availability](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/postgresql/index.html),
`pg-upgrade` should be run on all the nodes running PostgreSQL. Other nodes can be
skipped but must be running the same GitLab version as the database nodes.

Follow the steps below to upgrade the database nodes:

1. Secondary nodes must be upgraded before the primary node.
   1. On the secondary nodes, edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` to include the following:

   ```shell
   # Replace X with the number of DB nodes + 1
   postgresql['max_replication_slots'] = X
    ```

   1. Run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to update the configuration.
   1. Run `sudo gitlab-ctl restart postgresql` to get PostgreSQL restarted with the new configuration.
   1. On running `pg-upgrade` on a PostgreSQL secondary node, the node will be removed
      from the cluster.
   1. Once all the secondary nodes are upgraded using `pg-upgrade`, the user
      will be left with a single-node cluster that has only the primary node.
   1. `pg-upgrade`, on secondary nodes will not update the existing data to
      match the new version, as that data will be replaced by the data from
      the primary node. It will however move the existing data to a backup
      location.
1. Once all secondary nodes are upgraded, run `pg-upgrade` on the primary node.
   1. On the primary node, edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` to include the following:

   ```shell
   # Replace X with the number of DB nodes + 1
   postgresql['max_replication_slots'] = X
    ```

   1. Run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to update the configuration.
   1. Run `sudo gitlab-ctl restart postgresql` to get PostgreSQL restarted with the new configuration.
   1. On a primary node, `pg-upgrade` will update the existing data to match
      the new PostgreSQL version.
1. Recreate the secondary nodes by running the following command on each of them

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl repmgr standby setup MASTER_NODE_NAME
   ```

1. Check if the repmgr cluster is back to the original state

   ```shell
   gitlab-ctl repmgr cluster show
   ```

### Troubleshooting upgrades in an HA cluster

If at some point, the bundled PostgreSQL had been running on a node before upgrading to an HA setup, the old data directory may remain. This will cause `gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to downgrade the version of the PostgreSQL utilities it uses on that node. Move (or remove) the directory to prevent this:

- `mv /var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data/ /var/opt/gitlab/postgresql/data.$(date +%s)`

If you encounter the following error when recreating the secondary nodes with `gitlab-ctl repmgr standby setup MASTER_NODE_NAME`, ensure that you have `postgresql['max_replication_slots'] = X` (where `X` is the number of DB nodes + 1), is included in `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

```shell
pg_basebackup: could not create temporary replication slot "pg_basebackup_12345": ERROR:  all replication slots are in use
HINT:  Free one or increase max_replication_slots.

```

### Upgrading a Geo instance

Since Geo depends on PostgreSQL streaming replication by default, there are
additional considerations when upgrading GitLab and/or when upgrading
PostgreSQL is described below.

#### Caveats when upgrading PostgreSQL with Geo

WARNING:
When using Geo, upgrading PostgreSQL **requires downtime on all secondaries**.

When using Geo, upgrading PostgreSQL **requires downtime on all secondaries**
because it requires re-initializing PostgreSQL replication to Geo
**secondaries**. This is due to the way PostgreSQL streaming replication works.
Re-initializing replication copies all data from the primary again, so it can
take a long time depending mostly on the size of the database and available
bandwidth. For example, at a transfer speed of 30 Mbps, and a database size of
100 GB, resynchronization could take approximately 8 hours. See
[PostgreSQL documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/pgupgrade.html)
for more.

#### How to upgrade PostgreSQL when using Geo

To upgrade PostgreSQL, you will need the name of the replication slot, and the
replication user's password.

1. Find the name of the existing replication slot on the Geo primary's database
   node, run:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-psql -qt -c 'select slot_name from pg_replication_slots'
   ```

   If you can't find your `slot_name` here, or there is no output returned, your Geo secondaries may not be healthy. In that case, make sure the [secondaries are healthy and replication is working](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/geo/replication/troubleshooting.html#check-the-health-of-the-secondary-node).

1. Gather the replication user's password. It was set while setting up Geo in
   [Step 1. Configure the primary site](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/geo/setup/database.html#step-1-configure-the-primary-site).

1. Manually upgrade PostgreSQL on the Geo primary. Run on the Geo primary's
   database node:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade
   ```

   Wait for the **primary database** to finish upgrading before
   beginning the following step, so the secondary can remain ready as a backup.
   Afterward, you can upgrade the **tracking database** in parallel with the
   **secondary database**.

1. Manually upgrade PostgreSQL on the Geo secondaries. Run on the Geo
   **secondary database** and also on the **tracking database**:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl pg-upgrade
   ```

1. Restart the database replication on the Geo **secondary database** using the
   command:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl replicate-geo-database --slot-name=SECONDARY_SLOT_NAME --host=PRIMARY_HOST_NAME --sslmode=verify-ca
   ```

   You will be prompted for the replication user's password of the primary. Replace `SECONDARY_SLOT_NAME` with the slot name retrieved from the first step above.

1. [Reconfigure GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) on the Geo **secondary database** to update the
   `pg_hba.conf` file. This is needed because `replicate-geo-database`
   replicates the primary's file to the secondary.

1. Restart `puma`, `sidekiq`, and `geo-logcursor`.

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl hup puma
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart sidekiq
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart geo-logcursor
   ```

1. Navigate to `https://your_primary_server/admin/geo/nodes` and ensure that all nodes are healthy.

## Connecting to the PostgreSQL database

If you need to connect to the PostgreSQL database, you can connect as the
application user:

```shell
sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole --database main
```

## Troubleshooting

### Set `default_transaction_isolation` into `read committed`

If you see errors similar to the following in your `production/sidekiq` log:

```plaintext
ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid PG::TRSerializationFailure: ERROR:  could not serialize access due to concurrent update
```

Chances are your database's `default_transaction_isolation` configuration is not
in line with the GitLab application requirement. You can check this configuration by
connecting to your PostgreSQL database and run `SHOW default_transaction_isolation;`.
GitLab application expects `read committed` to be configured.

This `default_transaction_isolation` configuration is set in your
`postgresql.conf` file. You will need to restart/reload the database once you
changed the configuration. This configuration comes by default in the packaged
PostgreSQL server included with the Linux package.

### Could not load library `plpgsql.so`

You might see errors similar to the following while running Database migrations
or in the PostgreSQL/Patroni logs:

```plaintext
ERROR:  could not load library "/opt/gitlab/embedded/postgresql/12/lib/plpgsql.so": /opt/gitlab/embedded/postgresql/12/lib/plpgsql.so: undefined symbol: EnsurePortalSnapshotExists
```

This error is caused due to not restarting PostgreSQL after the underlying
version changed. To fix this error:

1. Run one of the following commands:

   ```shell
   # For PostgreSQL
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart postgresql

   # For Patroni
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart patroni

   # For Geo PostgreSQL
   sudo gitlab-ctl restart geo-postgresql
   ```

1. Reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```