-<Chapter id="user-manag">
+<!--
+$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/user-manag.sgml,v 1.14 2002/08/16 04:47:43 momjian Exp $
+-->
+
+<chapter id="user-manag">
<title>Database Users and Permissions</title>
<para>
Managing database users and their privileges is in concept similar
- to managing users of a Unix operating system, but the details are not
- identical.
+ to managing the users of a Unix operating system, but the details
+ are not identical.
</para>
<sect1 id="database-users">
</para>
<para>
- For convenience, the shell scripts <filename>createuser</filename>
- and <filename>dropuser</filename> are provided as wrappers around these SQL
+ For convenience, the shell scripts <application>createuser</application>
+ and <application>dropuser</application> are provided as wrappers around these SQL
commands.
</para>
In order to bootstrap the database system, a freshly initialized
system always contains one predefined user. This user will have the
fixed id 1, and by default (unless altered when running
- <command>initdb</command>) it will have the same name as the
- operating system user that initialized the area (and is presumably
- being used as the user that runs the server). Customarily, this user
- will be named <systemitem>postgres</systemitem>. In order to create more
- users you first have to connect as this initial user.
+ <application>initdb</application>) it will have the same name as
+ the operating system user that initialized the database
+ cluster. Customarily, this user will be named
+ <systemitem>postgres</systemitem>. In order to create more users
+ you first have to connect as this initial user.
</para>
<para>
The user name to use for a particular database connection is
indicated by the client that is initiating the connection request
in an application-specific fashion. For example, the
- <command>psql</command> program uses the <option>-U</option>
+ <application>psql</application> program uses the <option>-U</option>
command line option to indicate the user to connect as. The set of
database users a given client connection may connect as is
determined by the client authentication setup, as explained in
<para>
A database superuser bypasses all permission checks. Also,
only a superuser can create new users. To create a database
- superuser, use <literal>CREATE USER name
+ superuser, use <literal>CREATE USER <replaceable>name</replaceable>
CREATEUSER</literal>.
</para>
</listitem>
<para>
A user must be explicitly given permission to create databases
(except for superusers, since those bypass all permission
- checks). To create such a user, use <literal>CREATE USER name
- CREATEDB</literal>.
+ checks). To create such a user, use <literal>CREATE USER
+ <replaceable>name</replaceable> CREATEDB</literal>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<term>password</term>
<listitem>
<para>
- A password is only significant if password authentication is
- used for client authentication. Database passwords are separate
- from operating system passwords. Specify a password upon
- user creation with <literal>CREATE USER name PASSWORD
- 'string'</literal>.
+ A password is only significant if the client authentication
+ method requires the user to supply a password when connecting
+ to the database. At present, the <option>password</>,
+ <option>md5</>, and <option>crypt</> authentication methods
+ make use of passwords. Database passwords are separate from
+ operating system passwords. Specify a password upon user
+ creation with <literal>CREATE USER
+ <replaceable>name</replaceable> PASSWORD 'string'</literal>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<para>
When a database object is created, it is assigned an owner. The
- owner is the user that executed the creation statement. There is
- currently no polished interface for changing the owner of a database
- object (except for tables, for which <command>ALTER TABLE</> can do it).
- By default, only an owner (or a superuser) can do anything
- with the object. In order to allow other users to use it,
- <firstterm>privileges</firstterm> must be granted.
+ owner is the user that executed the creation statement. To change
+ the owner of a table, index, sequence, or view, use the
+ <command>ALTER TABLE</command> command. By default, only an owner
+ (or a superuser) can do anything with the object. In order to allow
+ other users to use it, <firstterm>privileges</firstterm> must be
+ granted.
</para>
<para>
- There are several different privileges: <literal>SELECT</literal>
- (read), <literal>INSERT</literal> (append), <literal>UPDATE</literal>
- (write), <literal>DELETE</literal>, <literal>RULE</literal>,
- <literal>REFERENCES</literal> (foreign key), and
- <literal>TRIGGER</literal>. (See the <command>GRANT</command> manual
- page for more detailed information.) The right to modify or destroy
- an object is always the privilege of the owner only. To assign
- privileges, the <command>GRANT</command> command is used. So, if
- <literal>joe</literal> is an existing user, and
- <literal>accounts</literal> is an existing table, write access can be
- granted with
+ There are several different privileges: <literal>SELECT</>,
+ <literal>INSERT</>, <literal>UPDATE</>, <literal>DELETE</>,
+ <literal>RULE</>, <literal>REFERENCES</>, <literal>TRIGGER</>,
+ <literal>CREATE</>, <literal>TEMPORARY</>, <literal>EXECUTE</>,
+ <literal>USAGE</>, and <literal>ALL PRIVILEGES</>. For more
+ information on the different types of privileges support by
+ <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>, refer to the
+ <command>GRANT</command> reference manual. The right to modify or
+ destroy an object is always the privilege of the owner only. To
+ assign privileges, the <command>GRANT</command> command is
+ used. So, if <literal>joe</literal> is an existing user, and
+ <literal>accounts</literal> is an existing table, the privilege to
+ update the table can be granted with
+
<programlisting>
GRANT UPDATE ON accounts TO joe;
</programlisting>
</sect1>
-</Chapter>
+</chapter>
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