PostgreSQL 8.1.4 Documentation
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# 28.12. The Password File

The file `.pgpass` in a user's home directory or the file referenced by `PGPASSFILE` can contain passwords to be used if the connection requires a password (and no password has been specified otherwise). On Microsoft Windows the file is named `%APPDATA%\postgresql\pgpass.conf` (where `%APPDATA%` refers to the Application Data subdirectory in the user's profile).

This file should contain lines of the following format:

    hostname:port:database:username:password

Each of the first four fields may be a literal value, or `*`, which matches anything. The password field from the first line that matches the current connection parameters will be used. (Therefore, put more-specific entries first when you are using wildcards.) If an entry needs to contain `:` or `\`, escape this character with `\`. A hostname of `localhost` matches both `host` (TCP) and `local` (Unix domain socket) connections coming from the local machine.

The permissions on `.pgpass` must disallow any access to world or group; achieve this by the command `chmod 0600 ~/.pgpass`. If the permissions are less strict than this, the file will be ignored. (The file permissions are not currently checked on Microsoft Windows, however.)

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