REINDEXDB(1)

💖 NAME 💖

okay so bestie, meet reindexdb from the PostgreSQL 13.23 documentation — the manual page is REINDEXDB(1), and the whole point is: reindexdb — reindex a PostgreSQL database ✨ Like, that's the name and the game. It's a utility for rebuilding indexes in a PostgreSQL database, and it's about to be your new lowkey fave 🫶

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

reindexdb [connection-option...] [option...] [ -S | --schema schema ]...
          [ -t | --table table ]...  [ -i | --index index ]...  [dbname]

reindexdb [connection-option...] [option...] -a | --all

reindexdb [connection-option...] [option...] -s | --system  [dbname]

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🛠️ DESCRIPTION 🛠️

So reindexdb is a utility for rebuilding indexes in a PostgreSQL database. Iconic behavior, honestly. 💅

It's a wrapper around the SQL command REINDEX(7), and there is no effective difference between reindexing databases via this utility and via other methods for accessing the server. That's literally the whole vibe — same energy, different doorway 🚪✨

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

reindexdb accepts the following command-line arguments:

• -a, --all — Reindex all databases. all of them. every last one 👑
• --concurrently — Use the CONCURRENTLY option. See REINDEX(7), where all the caveats of this option are explained in detail. read the caveats, bestie, don't just sprint in 🫶
• [-d] dbname, [--dbname=]dbname — Specifies the name of the database to be reindexed, when -a/--all is not used. If this is not specified, the database name is read from the environment variable PGDATABASE. If that is not set, the user name specified for the connection is used. The dbname can be a connection string. If so, connection string parameters will override any conflicting command line options. connection-string override realness 💖
• -e, --echo — Echo the commands that reindexdb generates and sends to the server. receipts! we love receipts! 🧾
• -i index, --index=index — Recreate index only. Multiple indexes can be recreated by writing multiple -i switches. spam that -i if you've got a whole collection, iykyk 🎀
• -j njobs, --jobs=njobs — Execute the reindex commands in parallel by running njobs commands simultaneously. This option may reduce the processing time but it also increases the load on the database server. trade-off alert, no cap ⚠️ reindexdb will open njobs connections to the database, so make sure your max_connections setting is high enough to accommodate all connections. do not skip the max_connections vibe check 👀 Note that this option is incompatible with the --index and --system options. they are not friends, periodt 🚫
• -q, --quiet — Do not display progress messages. silent mode, mysterious mode 🤫
• -s, --system — Reindex database's system catalogs only. just the system catalogs, bestie 🫡
• -S schema, --schema=schema — Reindex schema only. Multiple schemas can be reindexed by writing multiple -S switches. schema stacking, we love to see it 🌿
• -t table, --table=table — Reindex table only. Multiple tables can be reindexed by writing multiple -t switches. table after table after table 🍑
• -v, --verbose — Print detailed information during processing. give me all the lore 📣
• -V, --version — Print the reindexdb version and exit. short and sweet 💫
• -?, --help — Show help about reindexdb command line arguments, and exit. when in doubt, ask for help 🫶

🌈 connection parameters 🌈

reindexdb also accepts the following command-line arguments for connection parameters:

• -h host, --host=host — Specifies the host name of the machine on which the server is running. If the value begins with a slash, it is used as the directory for the Unix domain socket. slash means Unix domain socket directory, noted 📝 🔌
• -p port, --port=port — Specifies the TCP port or local Unix domain socket file extension on which the server is listening for connections. port lore 🚪
• -U username, --username=username — User name to connect as. who are we today? this user, apparently 🪪
• -w, --no-password — Never issue a password prompt. If the server requires password authentication and a password is not available by other means such as a .pgpass file, the connection attempt will fail. This option can be useful in batch jobs and scripts where no user is present to enter a password. no prompt, no rescue — it will just fail 💀
• -W, --password — Force reindexdb to prompt for a password before connecting to a database. forced prompt energy 🔐 This option is never essential, since reindexdb will automatically prompt for a password if the server demands password authentication. However, reindexdb will waste a connection attempt finding out that the server wants a password. In some cases it is worth typing -W to avoid the extra connection attempt. skip the wasted attempt, queen 👑
• --maintenance-db=dbname — When the -a/--all is used, connect to this database to gather the list of databases to reindex. If not specified, the postgres database will be used, or if that does not exist, template1 will be used. This can be a connection string. If so, connection string parameters will override any conflicting command line options. Also, connection string parameters other than the database name itself will be re-used when connecting to other databases. connection-string carryover, fancy 🦋

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🌱 ENVIRONMENT 🌱

• PGDATABASE, PGHOST, PGPORT, PGUSER — Default connection parameters. the classic quartet 🎀
• PG_COLOR — Specifies whether to use color in diagnostic messages. Possible values are always, auto and never. color choices! always, auto, never — pick your fighter 🌈

This utility, like most other PostgreSQL utilities, also uses the environment variables supported by libpq (see Section 33.14). libpq env var supremacy 💫

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🩺 DIAGNOSTICS 🩺

In case of difficulty, see REINDEX(7) and psql(1) for discussions of potential problems and error messages. The database server must be running at the targeted host. Also, any default connection settings and environment variables used by the libpq front-end library will apply. server has to actually be running, bestie — we can't reindex vibes alone 😭

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📝 NOTES 📝

reindexdb might need to connect several times to the PostgreSQL server, asking for a password each time. It is convenient to have a ~/.pgpass file in such cases. See Section 33.15 for more information. save yourself the password-prompt sequel, make the .pgpass file 🔁

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🌸 EXAMPLES 🌸

To reindex the database test:

$ reindexdb test

To reindex the table foo and the index bar in a database named abcd:

$ reindexdb --table=foo --index=bar abcd

look at those little commands go. slay. 💅✨

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👀 SEE ALSO 👀

REINDEX(7)

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made with 💖 from the PostgreSQL 13.23 docs, dated 2025 — now go forth and reindex those indexes, bestie 👑🎀🦋