Practical PostgreSQL

Drop Database

Removes a database from the system.

Synopsis

DROP DATABASE name

Parameters

name

The name of the database you wish to remove.

Results

DROP DATABASE

The message returned when a database is dropped correctly.

ERROR: user 'username' is not allowed to create/drop databases

The error returned if you attempt to drop a database with a PostgreSQL user that does not have superuser privileges. You must have a user that was created with the CREATEDB privilege to drop databases. See the reference entry titled “CREATE USER” for more about this.

ERROR: dropdb: cannot be executed on the template database

The error returned if you attempt to drop the template1 database. This database cannot be dropped; it is a system database.

ERROR: dropdb: cannot be executed on an open database

The error returned if you attempt to drop a database to which you are currently connected. If you get this error, try connecting to the template1 database and then issuing the command to drop the database on which you were previously working.

ERROR: dropdb: database 'name' does not exist

The error returned if the database you are trying to delete does not exist.

ERROR: dropdb: database 'name' is not owned by you

The error returned if you attempt to delete a database that you do not own.

ERROR: dropdb: May not be called in a transaction block

The error returned if you attempt to issue the DROP DATABASE command from within a transaction block. You must finish any current transaction before dropping a database.

NOTICE: The database ...