Postgresql -bash: psql: command not found

Question

I have installed PostgreSQL and it is working ok. However, when I went to restore a backup I got the error -bash: psql: command not found:

 [root@server1 ~]# su postgres  [postgres@server1 root]$ psql -f all.sql  bash: psql: command not found  [postgres@server1 root]$  

What have I done wrong?

Answer 1

export PATH=/usr/pgsql-9.2/bin:$PATH 

The program executable psql is in the directory /usr/pgsql-9.2/bin, and that directory is not included in the path by default, so we have to tell our shell (terminal) program where to find psql. When most packages are installed, they are added to an existing path, such as /usr/local/bin, but not this program.

So we have to add the program's path to the shell PATH variable if we do not want to have to type the complete path to the program every time we execute it.

This line should typically be added to theshell startup script, which for the bash shell will be in the file ~/.bashrc.

Answer 2

perhaps psql isn't in the PATH of the postgres user. Use the locate command to find where psql is and ensure that it's path is in the PATH for the postgres user.