---
name: "pg_ctlcluster"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "postgresql-common"
version: "134wheezy4"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pg_ctlcluster/8"
---

# pg\_ctlcluster(8)

start/stop/restart/reload a PostgreSQL cluster

## NAME

pg\_ctlcluster - start/stop/restart/reload a PostgreSQL cluster

## SYNOPSIS

**pg\_ctlcluster** \[*options*\] *cluster-version* *cluster-name* *action* **--** \[*pg\_ctl options*\]

where *action* = **start**\|**stop**\|**restart**\|**reload**\|**promote**

## DESCRIPTION

This program controls the **postmaster** server for a particular cluster. It essentially wraps the [*pg\_ctl*(1)](/pg_ctl/1.md) command. It determines the cluster version and data path and calls the right version of **pg\_ctl** with appropriate configuration parameters and paths.

You have to start this program as the user who owns the database cluster or as root.

## ACTIONS

- **start**

  A log file for this specific cluster is created if it does not exist yet (by default, `/var/log/postgresql/postgresql-`*cluster-version*`-`*cluster-name*`.log`), and a PostreSQL server process ([*postmaster*(1)](/postmaster/1.md)) is started on it. Exits with 0 on success, with 2 if the server is already running, and with 1 on other failure conditions.

- **stop**

  Stops the [*postmaster*(1)](/postmaster/1.md) server of the given cluster. By default, "smart" mode is used, which waits until all clients disconnected.

  With the **--force** option the "fast" mode is used which rolls back all active transactions, disconnects clients immediately and thus shuts down cleanly. If that does not work, shutdown is attempted again in "immediate" mode, which can leave the cluster in an inconsistent state and thus will lead to a recovery run at the next start. If this still does not help, the **postmaster** process is killed.  Exits with 0 on success, with 2 if the server is not running, and with 1 on other failure conditions. This mode should only be used when the machine is about to be shut down.

- **restart**

  Stops the server if it is running and starts it (again).

- **reload**

  Causes the configuration files to be re-read without a full shutdown of the server.

- **promote**

  Commands a running standby server to exit recovery and begin read-write operations.

## OPTIONS

- **-o** *option*

  Pass given *option* as command line option to the `postmaster` process. It is possible to specify **-o** multiple times. See [*postmaster*(1)](/postmaster/1.md) for a description of valid options.

- *pg\_ctl options*

  Pass given *pg\_ctl options* as command line options to pg\_ctl. See [*pg\_ctl*(1)](/pg_ctl/1.md) for a description of valid options.

## FILES

- /etc/postgresql/*cluster-version*/*cluster-name*/pg\_ctl.conf

  This configuration file contains cluster specific options to be passed to [*pg\_ctl*(1)](/pg_ctl/1.md).

## SEE ALSO

[*pg\_ctl*(1)](/pg_ctl/1.md), [*pg\_wrapper*(1)](/pg_wrapper/1.md), [*pg\_lsclusters*(1)](/pg_lsclusters/1.md), [*postmaster*(1)](/postmaster/1.md)

## AUTHOR

Martin Pitt \<mpitt@debian.org\>