Installing PostgreSQL on Windows

The installation of PostgreSQL on Windows is easier than Linux for beginners. You can download the PostgreSQL binaries from EnterpriseDB at https://www.enterprisedb.com/downloads/postgres-postgresql-downloads. The installer wizard will guide the user through the installation process. The installation wizard gives the user the ability to specify the binaries' location, the database cluster location, the port, the postgres user password, and the locale. The following screenshot shows the installation directory of PostgreSQL:

The following screenshot shows the components that will be installed:

The installer will also launch the Stack Builder wizard, which is used to install the PostgreSQL drivers and many other utilities, as shown in the following screenshot:

Using the psql client isn't very convenient in the latest version of Windows due to the lack of some capabilities, such as copying, pasting, and resizing, in Command Prompt (CMD.exe). pgAdmin is often used in the Windows operating system. Another option is to use a Command Prompt alternative, such as PowerShell, or a Linux emulator, such as Cygwin or MobaXterm.

PostgreSQL in Windows is installed as a service; in order to validate the installation, you can view the Service tab in the Task Manager utility.