CHECKPOINT(7)

hiii bestie 💖 welcome to CHECKPOINT(7), fresh outta the PostgreSQL 16.15 Documentation — we’re doing write-ahead log checkpoint realness today, and yes it’s giving main character energy. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

CHECKPOINT — bestie, this is the command that forces a write-ahead log checkpoint. That’s the whole name and it ate. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

CHECKPOINT

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so picture this: a checkpoint is a point in the write-ahead log sequence at which all data files have been updated to reflect the information in the log. All data files will be flushed to disk. No cap, every single one. For more details about what happens during a checkpoint, refer to Section 30.5. 🌸

The CHECKPOINT command forces an immediate checkpoint when the command is issued, without waiting for a regular checkpoint scheduled by the system (controlled by the settings in Section 20.5.2). Like, it skips the queue and goes straight to the front. 💅

⚠️ bestie, CHECKPOINT is not intended for use during normal operation. It’s a special-occasion command, not an everyday vibe.

If executed during recovery, the CHECKPOINT command will force a restartpoint (see Section 30.5) rather than writing a new checkpoint. Plot twist, but make it PostgreSQL. 😭

Permission check, bestie: only superusers or users with the privileges of the pg_checkpoint role can call CHECKPOINT. 👑

✨ COMPATIBILITY ✨

The CHECKPOINT command is a PostgreSQL language extension. Slay, it’s a PostgreSQL original. 💜

🌷 that’s the whole page, bestie — source/version: PostgreSQL 16.15, date: 2026, manual: CHECKPOINT(7). mwah 💋