How to Set Up Postgres Using Docker

Step 1: Pull the Official PostgreSQL Image

We need to pull the official PostgreSQL image from Docker Hub. Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

docker pull postgres

# -- Instead, for a certain version of postgres, e.g. 14.5, run:

# docker pull postgres:14.5

And wait for the latest version of the PostgreSQL image to be downloaded.

Step 3: Connect to the PostgreSQL Database and Operate

Connect from the host machine

You can use the psql cammand to connect to your database.

psql -h localhost -U postgres

Connect within Docker

Or open an interactive terminal inside the container and connect to the PostgreSQL database with the postgres user.

docker exec -it mypostgres psql -h localhost -U postgres

Then we can operate with SQL command after the "#".