---
layout: api
page_title: PostgreSQL - Database - Secrets Engines - HTTP API
description: >-
  The PostgreSQL plugin for Vault's database secrets engine generates database
  credentials to access PostgreSQL servers.
---

# PostgreSQL database plugin HTTP API

The PostgreSQL database plugin is one of the supported plugins for the database
secrets engine. This plugin generates database credentials dynamically based on
configured roles for the PostgreSQL database.

## Configure connection

In addition to the parameters defined by the [Database
Backend](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases#configure-connection), this plugin
has a number of parameters to further configure a connection.

| Method | Path                     |
| :----- | :----------------------- |
| `POST` | `/database/config/:name` |

### Parameters

- `connection_url` `(string: <required>)` - Specifies the PostgreSQL DSN. This field
  can be templated and supports passing the username and password
  parameters in the following format `{{field_name}}`. Certificate authentication
  can be used by setting `?sslmode=` to be any of the applicable values as outlined in
  the [Postgres SQL documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/libpq-ssl.html#LIBPQ-SSL-PROTECTION)
  and giving the SSL credentials in the `sslrootcert`, `sslcert` and `sslkey` credentials.
  A templated connection URL is required when using root credential rotation. This field
  supports both format string types, URI and keyword/value. Both formats support multiple
  host connection strings.
  Due to how `pgx` works, parameters such as `sslrootcert`, `sslcert`, `sslkey` are treated as paths
  on the Vault server.

- `max_open_connections` `(int: 4)` - Specifies the maximum number of open
  connections to the database.

- `max_idle_connections` `(int: 0)` - Specifies the maximum number of idle
  connections to the database. A zero uses the value of `max_open_connections`
  and a negative value disables idle connections. If larger than
  `max_open_connections` it will be reduced to be equal.

- `max_connection_lifetime` `(string: "0s")` - Specifies the maximum amount of
  time a connection may be reused. If <= `0s`, connections are reused forever.

- `username` `(string: "")` - The root credential username used in the connection URL.

- `password` `(string: "")` - The root credential password used in the connection URL.

- `self_managed` `(boolean: "false")` - <EnterpriseAlert product="vault" inline /> If
  set, allows onboarding static roles with a rootless connection configuration. Mutually
  exclusive with `username` and `password`. If set, will force `verify_connection` to be false.

- `tls_ca` `(string: "")` - The x509 CA file for validating the certificate
  presented by the PostgreSQL server. Must be PEM encoded.

- `tls_certificate` `(string: "")` - The x509 client certificate for connecting
  to the database. Must be PEM encoded.

- `private_key` `(string: "")` - The secret key used for the x509 client
  certificate. Must be PEM encoded.

- `auth_type` `(string: "")` - If set to `gcp_iam`, will enable IAM authentication to a Google
  CloudSQL instance. For more information on authenticating to CloudSQL via IAM, please refer to
  Google's official documentation [here.](https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/postgres/authentication).

- `service_account_json` `(string: "")` - JSON encoded credentials for a GCP Service Account to use
  for IAM authentication. Requires `auth_type` to be `gcp_iam`.

- `use_private_ip` `(boolean: false)` - Enables the option to connect to CloudSQL Instances with Private IP.
   Requires `auth_type` to be `gcp_iam`.

- `username_template` `(string)` - [Template](/vault/docs/concepts/username-templating) describing how
  dynamic usernames are generated.

- `disable_escaping` `(boolean: false)` - Turns off the escaping of special characters inside of the username
  and password fields. See the [databases secrets engine docs](/vault/docs/secrets/databases#disable-character-escaping)
  for more information. Defaults to `false`.

- `password_authentication` `(string: "password")` - When set to "scram-sha-256", passwords will be hashed by Vault and stored as-is by PostgreSQL.
  Using "scram-sha-256" requires a minimum version of PostgreSQL 10. Available options are "scram-sha-256" and "password". The default is "password".
  When set to "password", passwords will be sent to PostgreSQL in plaintext format and may appear in PostgreSQL logs as-is.
  For more information, please refer to the [PostgreSQL documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-createrole.html#password).


<details>
<summary><b>Default Username Template</b></summary>

```
{{ printf "v-%s-%s-%s-%s" (.DisplayName | truncate 8) (.RoleName | truncate 8) (random 20) (unix_time) | truncate 63 }}
```

<details>
<summary><b>Example Usernames:</b></summary>

| Example       |                                                    |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| `DisplayName` | `token`                                            |
| `RoleName`    | `myrolename`                                       |
| Username      | `v-token-myrolena-jNFRlKsZZMxJEx60o66i-1614294836` |

| Example       |                                                       |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `DisplayName` | `amuchlonger_dispname`                                |
| `RoleName`    | `role-name-with-dashes`                               |
| Username      | `v-amuchlon-role-nam-LUHU9xqm6YNisikA3iCQ-1614294836` |

</details>
</details>

### Sample payload with URI-format connection string

```json
{
  "plugin_name": "postgresql-database-plugin",
  "allowed_roles": "readonly",
  "connection_url": "postgresql://{{username}}:{{password}}@localhost:5432/postgres",
  "max_open_connections": 5,
  "max_connection_lifetime": "5s",
  "username": "username",
  "password": "password"
}
```

### Sample payload with Keyword/Value-format connection string

```json
{
  "plugin_name": "postgresql-database-plugin",
  "allowed_roles": "readonly",
  "connection_url": "host=localhost port=5432 user={{username}} password={{password}}",
  "max_open_connections": 5,
  "max_connection_lifetime": "5s",
  "username": "username",
  "password": "password"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/database/config/postgresql
```

### Connection strings with multiple hosts

Postgres supports multiple hosts in the connection string. An example use-case for this might be having
Postgres set up with Replication Manager. However, there are some formatting rules to consider when using
this feature. Please refer to the ["Specifying Multiple Hosts" section of the
official Postgres documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/libpq-connect.html#LIBPQ-CONNSTRING)
for more information. Below are two small examples.

#### URI-format Multi-Host string:

```json
{
  "connection_url": "postgresql://{{username}}:{{password}}@hostone:5432,hosttwo:5432,hostthree:9999/postgres"
}
```

#### Keyword/Value-format Multi-Host string:

```json
{
  "connection_url": "host=hostone,hosttwo,hostthree port=5432,5432,9999 user={{username}} password={{password}} dbname=postgres"
}
```

## Statements

Statements are configured during role creation and are used by the plugin to
determine what is sent to the database on user creation, renewing, and
revocation. For more information on configuring roles see the [Role
API](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases#create-role) in the database secrets engine docs.

### Parameters

The following are the statements used by this plugin. If not mentioned in this
list the plugin does not support that statement type.

- `creation_statements` `(list: <required>)` – Specifies the database
  statements executed to create and configure a user. Must be a
  semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a
  serialized JSON string array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string
  array. The `{{name}}`, `{{password}}` and `{{expiration}}` values will be
  substituted. The generated password will be a random alphanumeric 20 character
  string.

- `revocation_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to
  be executed to revoke a user. Must be a semicolon-separated string, a
  base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a serialized JSON string array, or
  a base64-encoded serialized JSON string array. The `{{name}}` value will be
  substituted. If not provided defaults to a generic drop user statement.

- `rollback_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to be
  executed rollback a create operation in the event of an error. Not every
  plugin type will support this functionality. Must be a semicolon-separated
  string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a serialized JSON string
  array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string array. The `{{name}}` value
  will be substituted.

- `renew_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to be
  executed to renew a user. Not every plugin type will support this
  functionality. Must be a semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded
  semicolon-separated string, a serialized JSON string array, or a
  base64-encoded serialized JSON string array. The `{{name}}` and
  `{{expiration}}` values will be substituted.

- `rotation_statements` `(list: [])` – Specifies the database statements to be
  executed to rotate the password for a given username. Must be a
  semicolon-separated string, a base64-encoded semicolon-separated string, a
  serialized JSON string array, or a base64-encoded serialized JSON string
  array. The `{{name}}` and `{{password}}` values will be substituted. The
  generated password will be a random alphanumeric 20 character string.
