How to back up a postgresql database from within psql?

Question

I am within psql and am wondering if there is a way to backup/restore databases from this command shell. I have read of pg_dump, but that fails with \"syntax error at or ne

Answer 1

pg_dump is a system command, not a command that you can use from within psql. From within psql you might be looking for something more like 'copy'. You can see it documented here:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/sql-copy.html

I'm not a Postgresql expert, but I have found the Postgresql online documentation thorough and professional. I recommend browsing through it if you're planning on using Postgresql to a significant degree.

Answer 2

You can always run shell command directly from psql session using \! [ command ] syntax, for example:

\! pg_dump -Fc -f D:\postgres.dump -U postgres postgres

Of course it's not so common to execute pg_dump or pg_restore in such way, but it's possible.

Chapter VI. Reference contains list of all SQL commands and applications (both client and server).