How to Set Up PostgreSQL with Docker: A Developer-Friendly Guide

PostgreSQL is a powerful open-source relational database, widely used in modern applications. Docker, on the other hand, simplifies environment setup and management. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to run PostgreSQL inside a Docker container—perfect for development or testing environments.

Step 1: Install Docker

Make sure Docker is installed and running on your machine. You can download it from Docker’s official site.

Step 2: Run PostgreSQL Container

Open your terminal and execute the following command:

docker run --name dev-postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword -d -p 5432:5432 postgres

This will pull the latest PostgreSQL image and run it on port 5432.

Step 3: Connect to the Database

You can now connect using any PostgreSQL client like DBeaver or psql:

psql -h localhost -U postgres

Step 4: Persist Data (Optional)

To ensure your data survives container restarts, use a volume:

docker run --name dev-postgres \
-e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword \
-v pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
-d -p 5432:5432 postgres

Step 5: Manage the Container

• docker stop dev-postgres - to stop the container
• docker start dev-postgres - to restart it
• docker rm dev-postgres - to remove it

 That's it! You've successfully launched a PostgreSQL instance inside Docker. This method keeps your system clean and lets you spin up databases quickly for any project.