Mastering PostgreSQL 12 - Third Edition

Using service files

However, .pgpass is not the only file you can use. You can also make use of service files. Here's how it works: if you want to connect to the very same servers over and over again, you can create a .pg_service.conf file. It will hold all of the connection information you need.

Here is an example of a .pg_service.conf file:

Mac:~  hs$ cat .pg_service.conf # a sample service 
[hansservice] 
host=localhost 
port=5432 
dbname=test 
user=hs 
password=abc 
 
[paulservice] 
host=192.168.0.45 
port=5432 
dbname=xyz 
user=paul 
password=cde 

To connect to one of the services, just set the environment and connect:

iMac:~ hs$ export PGSERVICE=hansservice  

A connection can now be established without passing parameters to psql:

iMac:~ hs$ psql