SHOW(7)

🎀 NAME 🎀

SHOW — show the value of a run-time parameter. That’s the whole assignment, bestie, and it ate. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

SHOW name
SHOW ALL

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

SHOW will display the current setting of run-time parameters. These variables can be set using the SET statement, by editing the postgresql.conf configuration file, through the PGOPTIONS environmental variable (when using libpq or a libpq-based application), or through command-line flags when starting the postgres server. See Chapter 20 for details. No cap, that’s the whole glow-up. 🦋

💖 PARAMETERS 💖

• name — the name of a run-time parameter. Available parameters are documented in Chapter 20 and on the SET(7) reference page. In addition, there are a few parameters that can be shown but not set:
  • SERVER_VERSION — Shows the server’s version number. Iconic lil version check. 👑
  • SERVER_ENCODING — Shows the server-side character set encoding. At present, this parameter can be shown but not set, because the encoding is determined at database creation time.
  • LC_COLLATE — Shows the database’s locale setting for collation (text ordering). At present, this parameter can be shown but not set, because the setting is determined at database creation time.
  • LC_CTYPE — Shows the database’s locale setting for character classification. At present, this parameter can be shown but not set, because the setting is determined at database creation time.
  • IS_SUPERUSER — True if the current role has superuser privileges. Yes, that’s the boss-mode vibe check. 👑
• ALL — Show the values of all configuration parameters, with descriptions. Full settings tour, periodt. 🌈

Tiny aside, bestie: some of these parameters are literally shown but not set, because their values get locked in when the database is created. That’s the rule, not me being dramatic. 💀

🧚 NOTES 🧚

The function current_setting produces equivalent output; see Section 9.27.1. Also, the pg_settings system view produces the same information. So yeah, multiple slays, same info. ✨

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

Show the current setting of the parameter DateStyle:

SHOW DateStyle;
 DateStyle
-----------
 ISO, MDY
(1 row)

Show the current setting of the parameter geqo:

SHOW geqo;
 geqo
------
 on
(1 row)

Show all settings:

SHOW ALL;
            name         | setting |                description
-------------------------+---------+-------------------------------------------------
 allow_system_table_mods | off     | Allows modifications of the structure of ...
    .
    .
    .
 xmloption               | content | Sets whether XML data in implicit parsing ...
 zero_damaged_pages      | off     | Continues processing past damaged page headers.
(196 rows)

💜 COMPATIBILITY 💜

The SHOW command is a PostgreSQL extension. It’s giving PostgreSQL-exclusive, iykyk. 🫶

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• SET(7)
• RESET(7)

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and that’s the whole page, bestie 🫶 — from the PostgreSQL 15.19 documentation, dated 2026, page SHOW(7). Bye 💖