How to Install psql Command on Ubuntu

If you are using Ubuntu and encounter the error “psql command not found,” it means that the psql command-line tool for interacting with PostgreSQL databases is not installed on your system. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing psql on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Update Package Index

Before installing psql, it’s recommended to update the package index to ensure you are installing the latest version available in the Ubuntu repositories. Open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install PostgreSQL Client

To install the PostgreSQL client, which includes the psql command, run the following command:

sudo apt install postgresql-client

If the postgresql-client package is not found, you can try installing the postgresql package instead:

sudo apt install postgresql

Step 3: Verify Installation

After the installation is complete, you can verify that psql is installed by running:

psql --version

If you see the version information for psql, then the installation was successful.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned how to install the psql command-line tool on Ubuntu. By following these steps, you can now use psql to interact with PostgreSQL databases directly from your terminal.