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Note on PGDATA changes for PostgreSQL 18+ #2582

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6 changes: 5 additions & 1 deletion postgres/content.md
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Expand Up @@ -96,7 +96,11 @@ See the PostgreSQL documentation on [`pg_hba.conf`](https://www.postgresql.org/d

### `PGDATA`

> **Important Note:** Mount the data volume at `/var/lib/postgresql/data` and not at `/var/lib/postgresql` because mounts at the latter path WILL NOT PERSIST database data when the container is re-created. The Dockerfile that builds the image declares a volume at `/var/lib/postgresql/data` and if no data volume is mounted at that path then the container runtime will automatically create an [anonymous volume](https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/#volumes) that is not reused across container re-creations. Data will be written to the anonymous volume rather than your intended data volume and won't persist when the container is deleted and re-created.
> **Important Change:** [the `PGDATA` environment variable of the image was changed to be version specific in PostgreSQL 18 and above](https://github.com/docker-library/postgres/pull/1259). For 18 it is `/var/lib/postgresql/18/docker`. Later versions will replace `18` with their respective major version (e.g., `/var/lib/postgresql/19/docker` for PostgreSQL `19.x`). The defined `VOLUME` was changed in 18 and above to `/var/lib/postgresql`. Mounts and volumes should be targeted at the updated location. This will allow users upgrading between PostgreSQL major releases to use the faster `--link` when running `pg_upgrade` and mounting `/var/lib/postgresql`.

Users who wish to opt-in to this change on older releases can do so by setting `PGDATA` explicitly (`--env PGDATA=/var/lib/postgresql/17/docker --volume some-postgres:/var/lib/postgresql`). To migrate pre-existing data, adjust the volume's folder structure appropriately first (moving all database files into a `PG_MAJOR/docker` subdirectory).

> **Important Note:** (for PostgreSQL 17 and below) Mount the data volume at `/var/lib/postgresql/data` and not at `/var/lib/postgresql` because mounts at the latter path WILL NOT PERSIST database data when the container is re-created. The Dockerfile that builds the image declares a volume at `/var/lib/postgresql/data` and if no data volume is mounted at that path then the container runtime will automatically create an [anonymous volume](https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/#volumes) that is not reused across container re-creations. Data will be written to the anonymous volume rather than your intended data volume and won't persist when the container is deleted and re-created.

This optional variable can be used to define another location - like a subdirectory - for the database files. The default is `/var/lib/postgresql/data`. If the data volume you're using is a filesystem mountpoint (like with GCE persistent disks), or remote folder that cannot be chowned to the `postgres` user (like some NFS mounts), or contains folders/files (e.g. `lost+found`), Postgres `initdb` requires a subdirectory to be created within the mountpoint to contain the data.

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