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Installing PostgreSQL and pgAdmin as Containers

Containerizing your development environment provides a lightweight, consistent, and reproducible setup. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of installing PostgreSQL 16 and pgAdmin 4 as Docker containers, enabling you to manage your PostgreSQL databases efficiently.

Prerequisites

  • Docker installed on the system.
  • Basic knowledge of Docker commands.

Step 1: Pull the PostgreSQL and pgAdmin Docker Images

First, let’s pull the official Docker images for PostgreSQL 16 and pgAdmin 4 from Docker Hub:

  docker pull postgres:16
  docker pull dpage/pgadmin4

Step 2: Create a Docker Network

To allow PostgreSQL and pgAdmin containers to communicate, create a custom Docker network:

  docker network create pgnetwork

Step 3: Run the PostgreSQL Container

Next, start the PostgreSQL container. Be sure to specify the Docker network you created:

  docker run --name postgres_16 --network pgnetwork \
    -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgresql \
    -d -p 5432:5432 \
    -v /host-path/postgresql_16/data:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
    postgres:16
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: Sets the password for the PostgreSQL superuser.

-v: Maps a directory on your host machine to the container’s data directory to persist data.

Step 4: Run the pgAdmin 4 Container

Now, run the pgAdmin 4 container, also attaching it to the same Docker network:

  docker run --name my_pgadmin --network pgnetwork \
    -e PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL=[email protected] \
    -e PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD=postgresql \
    -d -p 8080:80 dpage/pgadmin4

PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL: Email for the pgAdmin login.

PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD: Password for the pgAdmin login.

Step 5: Connect pgAdmin to PostgreSQL

  1. Access pgAdmin 4 by navigating to http://localhost:8080 in your browser.
  2. Log in using the email and password you set.
  3. Add a new server:
  4. Name: PostgreSQL 16
  5. Host name/address: postgres_16 (the name of your PostgreSQL container)
  6. Port: 5432
  7. Username: postgres
  8. Password: postgresql

Once configured, pgAdmin will connect to your PostgreSQL instance, and you can manage your databases from the pgAdmin interface.

Step 6: Managing Containers and Networks

- List running containers: 

docker ps
- Stop a container: 
docker stop <container_name>
Remove a container: 
docker rm <container_name>

List networks: 

docker network ls

Conclusion

By running PostgreSQL and pgAdmin as Docker containers, you can maintain a clean, isolated environment for your database management tasks. This setup is portable and easy to replicate, making it ideal for both development and testing environments.