pg_upgrade
upgrades PostgreSQL to a new major version in place
TLDR
Upgrade cluster
$ pg_upgrade -b [old_bindir] -B [new_bindir] -d [old_datadir] -D [new_datadir]
Check compatibility without upgrading$ pg_upgrade --check -b [old_bindir] -B [new_bindir] -d [old_datadir] -D [new_datadir]
Upgrade with hard links for speed$ pg_upgrade --link -b [old_bindir] -B [new_bindir] -d [old_datadir] -D [new_datadir]
Upgrade with file cloning (reflinks, near-instant)$ pg_upgrade --clone -b [old_bindir] -B [new_bindir] -d [old_datadir] -D [new_datadir]
Upgrade using parallel jobs$ pg_upgrade -j [4] -b [old_bindir] -B [new_bindir] -d [old_datadir] -D [new_datadir]
SYNOPSIS
pg_upgrade [options]
DESCRIPTION
pg_upgrade upgrades PostgreSQL to a new major version in place. Faster than dump/restore for large databases. Preserves data files when possible. Always run with --check first to verify compatibility before performing the actual upgrade.
PARAMETERS
-b, --old-bindir dir
Old PostgreSQL executable directory.-B, --new-bindir dir
New PostgreSQL executable directory. Defaults to the directory where pg_upgrade resides.-d, --old-datadir dir
Old database cluster configuration directory.-D, --new-datadir dir
New database cluster configuration directory.-c, --check
Check clusters only, don't change any data.-k, --link
Use hard links instead of copying files to the new cluster.--clone
Use efficient file cloning (reflinks) instead of copying. Near-instant on supported filesystems (Btrfs, XFS, macOS APFS).--copy
Copy files to the new cluster. This is the default.-j, --jobs njobs
Number of simultaneous processes for copying/linking files and dumping/restoring schemas in parallel.-p, --old-port port
The old cluster port number.-P, --new-port port
The new cluster port number.-U, --username name
Cluster's install user name.-r, --retain
Retain SQL and log files even after successful completion.-s, --socketdir dir
Directory for postmaster sockets during upgrade. Default is current working directory.-N, --no-sync
Do not wait for files to be written safely to disk.-v, --verbose
Enable verbose internal logging.-o, --old-options options
Options passed directly to the old postgres command.-O, --new-options options
Options passed directly to the new postgres command.
INSTALL
sudo dnf install postgresql17
sudo apk add postgresql17
sudo zypper install postgresql17
SEE ALSO
pg_dump(1), pg_restore(1), pg_ctl(1), pg_dumpall(1)
