Ian Carnaghan

How to send the output of a PostgreSQL query to a CSV file using the CLI (Command Line Interface)

Created On
byIan Carnaghan
  • Log into the PostgreSQL interface on the command line, you should see a similar screen like the one below 
    Welcome to psql 8.1.21, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.
 
Type:  \copyright for distribution terms
       \h for help with SQL commands
       \? for help with psql commands
       \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query
       \q to quit
 
database=#
  • Type the following command 
    \o /tmp/output.csv
    • Make sure the Postgres user has write privileges to the directory specified
    • /tmp/output.csv is the directory and the csv file name
    • \o = Put all query output into file output.csv
  • Run your sql query eg. 
    SELECT * FROM users;
  • Type \q to quit the PostgresSQL interface
  • Browse to the /tmp/ directory
  • Open the output.csv file and all the data from the users table will be within this CSV file, and the columns will be comma seperated.

Image Credits: Photo by Isis França on Unsplash.

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Ian Carnaghan
I am a software developer and online educator who likes to keep up with all the latest in technology. I also manage cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, DevOps processes, security, and continuous integration and deployment.

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