# How to Create a PostgreSQL Docker Container

> URL: https://www.atlantic.net/dedicated-server-hosting/how-to-create-a-postgresql-docker-container/ | Published: 2024-08-08 | Updated: 2024-08-17 | Author: Hitesh Jethva

Docker containers provide a convenient way to manage and deploy applications. PostgreSQL, a powerful open-source relational database system, can be run in a Docker container for easy development, testing, and deployment. This guide will show you how to set up and run a PostgreSQL Docker container.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to create a PostgreSQL Docker container.

## Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

- Docker installed on your machine.
- Basic knowledge of Docker commands and PostgreSQL.

## Step 1 – Pulling the PostgreSQL Docker Image

First, let’s pull the official PostgreSQL Docker image from Docker Hub. Open your terminal and run the following command:

```bash
docker pull postgres
```

This command will download the latest PostgreSQL image. If you need a specific version, you can specify it like this:

```bash
docker pull postgres:
```

For example, to pull PostgreSQL 13, you would run:

```bash
docker pull postgres:13
```

## Step 2 – Running a PostgreSQL Container

Now that we have the PostgreSQL image, let’s run a container. We’ll run the container with some basic configurations such as setting the PostgreSQL password and mapping a port.

```bash
docker run --name my_postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword -d -p 5432:5432 postgres
```

**Explanation:**

- **–name my_postgres:** Names the container my_postgres.
- **-e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword**: Sets the PostgreSQL password to mysecretpassword.
- **-d:** Runs the container in detached mode.
- **-p 5432:5432:** Maps port **5432** of the host to port **5432** of the container.
- **postgres:** Uses the postgres image.

To verify that the container is running, use:

```bash
docker ps
```

Output:

```bash
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE       COMMAND                  CREATED         STATUS         PORTS                                       NAMES
f690208d6e8a   postgres    "docker-entrypoint.s…"   6 seconds ago   Up 6 seconds   0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp, :::5432->5432/tcp   my_postgres
```

## Step 3 – Connecting to the PostgreSQL Container

You can connect to the PostgreSQL database using the psql command-line tool or any PostgreSQL client like pgAdmin. For this example, we’ll use psql.

First, enter the running container:

```bash
docker exec -it my_postgres bash
```

Once inside the container, connect to PostgreSQL using:

```bash
psql -U postgres
```

Once connected, you will see the following output:

```bash
psql (16.3 (Debian 16.3-1.pgdg120+1))
Type "help" for help.

postgres=#
```

To exit from the Postgres shell, run:

```bash
exit
```

To exit from the container, run:

```bash
exit
```

## Step 4 – Managing the PostgreSQL Container

To stop the PostgreSQL container, run:

```bash
docker stop my_postgres
```

To start the PostgreSQL container again, run:

```bash
docker start my_postgres
```

To remove the container, first stop it (if it’s running), and then remove it:

```bash
docker rm my_postgres
```

## Step 4 – Data Persistence

By default, data inside a Docker container is ephemeral, meaning it will be lost when the container is removed. To persist data, you can use Docker volumes.

Create a volume:

```bash
docker volume create pgdata
```

Run the PostgreSQL container with the volume:

```bash
docker run --name mynew_postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword -d -p 5432:5432 -v pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data postgres
```

The **-v pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data** option mounts the volume to the PostgreSQL data directory.

## Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve covered how to create and manage a PostgreSQL Docker container. We’ve walked through pulling the PostgreSQL image, running a container, connecting to it, and ensuring data persistence. Using Docker for PostgreSQL provides a flexible and efficient way to manage your databases, especially in development and testing environments. Let’s create a PostgreSQL docker container on [dedicated server hosting](https://www.atlantic.net/dedicated-server-hosting/) from Atlantic.Net!