Can I install pg_dump without installing postgres on Alpine?

Question

I have tried to install pg_dump as part of installation of postgres-client, however it does not include pg_dump.

Can pg_dump be installed without a full installation of postgres on Alpine Linux?

Answer 1

No - to install pg_dump and associated utilities, you'll need to run apk add postgresql, which will install the full PostgreSQL suite.

The installed size is currently 12.1mb (for v9.6.0-r1) vs just 451kb for postgresql-client, so it's definitely bigger. If you're using Alpine in Docker, that might not be a big deal. If you're using it in an embedded device where size matters, you could simply copy over pg_dump or whatever else you need.

Edit: This is no longer true. apk add --no-cache postgresql-client is sufficient.

Answer 2

The answer to this question is yes.

• postgresql-client, 2.39 MB installed, does contain the pg_dump command

• postgresql-dev, 9.13 MB installed, does not contain pg_dump but is required by psycopg2.

• postgresql, 33.66 MB installed does not contain pg_dump