Installing PostgreSQL on Windows

The installation of PostgreSQL on Windows is easier than Linux for beginners. One can download the PostgreSQL binaries from EnterpriseDB (https://www.enterprisedb.com/downloads/postgres-PostgreSQL-downloads#windows). 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, port, the postgres user password, and the locale:

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 figure:

Using the psql client is not very convenient in the latest version of Windows due to the lack of some capabilities such as copy, paste, and resizing in the Windows 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 and MobaXterm.

PostgreSQL in Windows is installed as a service; in order to validate the installation, one can view the service tab in the task manager utility.