PostgreSQL, Second Edition

Security

A PostgreSQL administrator is responsible for ensuring that authorized users can do what they need to do. An administrator is also responsible for making sure that authorized users can do only what they need to do. Another critical job is to keep intruders away from the user's data.

There are two aspects to PostgreSQL security—authentication and access. Authentication ensures that a user is in fact who he claims to be. After you are satisfied that a user has proven his identity, you must ensure that he can access the data that he needs.

Each user (or group) requires access to a specific set of resources. For example, an accounting clerk needs access to vendor and customer records, but may not require access to payroll data. A payroll ...