CREATE_SERVER(7)

๐Ÿ’– CREATE_SERVER โ€” bestie edition ๐Ÿ’–

okay so this is CREATE_SERVER(7) from the PostgreSQL 18.6 docs and we're gonna make a whole foreign server together, no cap. it's giving "I'm connecting you to a whole other data source" energy and honestly? iconic.


โœจ SYNOPSIS โœจ

CREATE SERVER [ IF NOT EXISTS ] server_name [ TYPE 'server_type' ] [ VERSION 'server_version' ]
    FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER fdw_name
    [ OPTIONS ( option 'value' [, ... ] ) ]

that's the whole vibe. type it out, bestie ๐Ÿซถ


๐ŸŒธ DESCRIPTION ๐ŸŒธ

CREATE SERVER literally defines a new foreign server. whoever defines it becomes its owner โ€” yes, you, main character ๐Ÿ‘‘

a foreign server is basically a little bundle of connection info that a foreign-data wrapper uses to go talk to some external data resource. like a lil passport for your database to travel abroad โœˆ๏ธ and if you need extra per-user connection deets, those go in user mappings.

the server name has to be unique within the database. no twins allowed, periodt.

also, creating a server requires USAGE privilege on the foreign-data wrapper you're using. no privilege, no server, that's the rule ๐Ÿ’…


๐ŸŽ€ PARAMETERS ๐ŸŽ€

  • IF NOT EXISTS โ€” do NOT throw an error if a server with the same name already exists. instead a notice gets issued. but real talk: there is no guarantee that the existing server is anything like the one you would've created. it could be a whole different situation ๐Ÿ˜ญ
  • server_name โ€” the name of the foreign server you're creating. name it something cute.
  • server_type โ€” optional server type, potentially useful to foreign-data wrappers.
  • server_version โ€” optional server version, potentially useful to foreign-data wrappers.
  • fdw_name โ€” the name of the foreign-data wrapper that manages the server. this is the one holding the aux cord ๐Ÿ”Œ
  • OPTIONS ( option 'value' [, ... ] ) โ€” this clause specifies the options for the server. the options typically define the connection details of the server, but the actual names and values are fully dependent on the server's foreign-data wrapper. so like, read the wrapper's docs, iykyk.

๐Ÿฆ‹ NOTES ๐Ÿฆ‹

  • when you're using the dblink module, a foreign server's name can be used as an argument of the dblink_connect(3) function to indicate the connection parameters. but bestie โ€” you need the USAGE privilege on that foreign server to use it this way. no privilege, no shortcut ๐Ÿšซ
  • if the foreign server supports sort pushdown, it needs to have the same sort ordering as the local server. matching outfits only ๐ŸŒˆ

๐Ÿ’œ EXAMPLES ๐Ÿ’œ

create a server myserver that uses the foreign-data wrapper postgres_fdw:

CREATE SERVER myserver FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER postgres_fdw OPTIONS (host 'foo', dbname 'foodb', port '5432');

see postgres_fdw for more details. slay ๐Ÿ’…


โญ COMPATIBILITY โญ

CREATE SERVER conforms to ISO/IEC 9075-9 (SQL/MED). standard behavior, we ate that ๐Ÿ‘‘


๐ŸŒˆ SEE ALSO ๐ŸŒˆ


okay that's the whole page bestie, go build your server and be iconic ๐Ÿ’–โœจ๐ŸŽ€๐Ÿฆ‹

this has been PostgreSQL 18.6 documentation, dated 2026, signing off โ€” mwah ๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ’