High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails

Appendix 2Why psql?

Although there are many great Graphical User Interface (GUI) clients for PostgreSQL, readers exclusively use psql here. Why is that?

psql is the official open source client maintained by PostgreSQL without any licensing limitations. You can run the client connected to your local database or to a remote database with low latency. Skills you develop with it will be valuable for years since the program has longevity.

By using psql, you’ll join a community of administrators, operators, and power users that use it every day and customize it. The more you use it, the better you’ll commit meta-commands to memory, learn to use variables, and find other useful tricks.

There’s a wealth of self-help and documentation for psql. Where ...