Connect to your Lightsail PostgreSQL database instance

After your PostgreSQL managed database is created in Amazon Lightsail, you can use any standard PostgreSQL client application or utility to connect to it. You must get the database endpoint, port, user name, and password from your database management page in the Lightsail console. Specify those values when configuring the database connection in your client or web application.

This guide shows you how to obtain the required connection information, and how to configure the pgAdmin client to connect to your managed database.

Note

For more information about connecting to a MySQL database, see Connect to your MySQL database.

Step 1: Get your PostgreSQL database connection details

Get your database endpoint and port information from the Lightsail console. You use these later when configuring your client to connect to your database.

To get your database connection details

1. Sign in to the Lightsail console.

2. In the left navigation pane, choose Databases.

3. Choose the name of the database that you want to connect to.

4. On the Connect tab, under the Endpoint and port section, note the endpoint and port information.

   We recommend copying the endpoint to your clipboard to avoid entering it incorrectly. To do that, highlight the endpoint and press Ctrl+C if you’re using Windows, or Cmd+C if you’re using macOS, to copy it to your clipboard. Then, press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V as appropriate to paste it.

   

5. On the Connect tab, under the User name and passwords section, make note of the user name, then choose Show under the Password section to view the current database password.

   Because managed passwords are complex, we also recommend copying and pasting it to avoid entering it incorrectly. Highlight the managed password and press Ctrl+C if you’re using Windows, or Cmd+C if you’re using macOS, to copy it to your clipboard. Then, press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V as appropriate to paste it.

Step 2: Configure the public availability of your PostgreSQL database

You must enable public mode for your database to connect to it externally, or from a Lightsail instance in a different Region than your database. With public mode enabled, anyone with the database user name and password can connect to your database. To configure the public availability of your database, follow the steps in the Configure the public mode for your database guide.

Note

Skip to step 3 if you plan to connect to your database from one of your Lightsail instances that is in the same Region as your database.

Step 3: Configure your database client to connect to your PostgreSQL database

To connect to your PostgreSQL database, configure your database client to use the endpoint and port that you obtained earlier. The following steps show you how to configure pgAdmin, but these steps may be similar for other clients.

Note

For more information about using pgAdmin, see the pgAdmin Documentation.

To configure pgAdmin to connect to your database

1. Open pgAdmin.

2. Right-click Servers from the left navigation menu.

3. Choose Create, then choose Server.

4. 

5. In the Create - Server form, enter a name for the server. We recommend using a name for the connection that is similar to your database. This helps you identify it in the future.

6. Choose the Connection tab, then enter the following information into the form that displays:

   

   • Host name/address — Enter the database endpoint that you obtained earlier. If you copied the database endpoint from the Lightsail console, and it’s still in your clipboard, press Ctrl+V if you’re using Windows, or Cmd+V if you’re using macOS, to paste it.

   • Port — Enter the port for your database that you obtained earlier. The default port for PostgreSQL is 5432.

   • Maintenance database — Specify the name of the initial database to which the client will connect. This is the primary database name that you specified when you created your PostgreSQL database in Lightsail.

     Enter postgres if you can’t remember the name of your primary database. Every PostgreSQL managed database has a postgres database that you can connect to, after which you’ll be able to access all other databases on the PostgreSQL managed database.

   • Username — Enter the database user name that you obtained earlier.

   • Password — Enter your database password that you obtained earlier. If you copied your password from the Lightsail console, and it’s still in your clipboard, press Ctrl+V if you’re using Windows, or Cmd+V if you’re using macOS, to paste it. Choose Save password to save your password.

   • Role and Service — Leave these fields blank.

7. Choose Save to save the new server details.

   Your new database connection appears on the left navigation menu of the pgAdmin application, under the Servers section.

8. To connect to your database, double-click your new database connection.

   If the connection is successful, you will see a list of available resources for that database.

   

Next steps

Here is a guide to help you import data into your database in Lightsail:

• Import data into your PostgreSQL database