doc/src/sgml/ref/drop_role.sgml

   1 <!--
   2 doc/src/sgml/ref/drop_role.sgml
   3 PostgreSQL documentation
   4 -->
   5
   6 <refentry id="sql-droprole">
   7  <indexterm zone="sql-droprole">
   8   <primary>DROP ROLE</primary>
   9  </indexterm>
  10
  11  <refmeta>
  12   <refentrytitle>DROP ROLE</refentrytitle>
  13   <manvolnum>7</manvolnum>
  14   <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
  15  </refmeta>
  16
  17  <refnamediv>
  18   <refname>DROP ROLE</refname>
  19   <refpurpose>remove a database role</refpurpose>
  20  </refnamediv>
  21
  22  <refsynopsisdiv>
  23 <synopsis>
  24 DROP ROLE [ IF EXISTS ] <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> [, ...]
  25 </synopsis>
  26  </refsynopsisdiv>
  27
  28  <refsect1>
  29   <title>Description</title>
  30
  31   <para>
  32    <command>DROP ROLE</command> removes the specified role(s).
  33    To drop a superuser role, you must be a superuser yourself;
  34    to drop non-superuser roles, you must have <literal>CREATEROLE</literal>
  35    privilege and have been granted <literal>ADMIN OPTION</literal> on the role.
  36   </para>
  37
  38   <para>
  39    A role cannot be removed if it is still referenced in any database
  40    of the cluster; an error will be raised if so.  Before dropping the role,
  41    you must drop all the objects it owns (or reassign their ownership)
  42    and revoke any privileges the role has been granted on other objects.
  43    The <link linkend="sql-reassign-owned"><command>REASSIGN
  44    OWNED</command></link> and <link linkend="sql-drop-owned"><command>DROP
  45    OWNED</command></link>
  46    commands can be useful for this purpose; see <xref linkend="role-removal"/>
  47    for more discussion.
  48   </para>
  49
  50   <para>
  51    However, it is not necessary to remove role memberships involving
  52    the role; <command>DROP ROLE</command> automatically revokes any memberships
  53    of the target role in other roles, and of other roles in the target role.
  54    The other roles are not dropped nor otherwise affected.
  55   </para>
  56  </refsect1>
  57
  58  <refsect1>
  59   <title>Parameters</title>
  60
  61   <variablelist>
  62    <varlistentry>
  63     <term><literal>IF EXISTS</literal></term>
  64     <listitem>
  65      <para>
  66       Do not throw an error if the role does not exist. A notice is issued
  67       in this case.
  68      </para>
  69     </listitem>
  70    </varlistentry>
  71
  72    <varlistentry>
  73     <term><replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable></term>
  74     <listitem>
  75      <para>
  76       The name of the role to remove.
  77      </para>
  78     </listitem>
  79    </varlistentry>
  80   </variablelist>
  81  </refsect1>
  82
  83  <refsect1>
  84   <title>Notes</title>
  85
  86   <para>
  87    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> includes a program <xref
  88    linkend="app-dropuser"/> that has the
  89    same functionality as this command (in fact, it calls this command)
  90    but can be run from the command shell.
  91   </para>
  92  </refsect1>
  93
  94  <refsect1>
  95   <title>Examples</title>
  96
  97   <para>
  98    To drop a role:
  99 <programlisting>
 100 DROP ROLE jonathan;
 101 </programlisting></para>
 102  </refsect1>
 103
 104  <refsect1>
 105   <title>Compatibility</title>
 106
 107   <para>
 108    The SQL standard defines <command>DROP ROLE</command>, but it allows
 109    only one role to be dropped at a time, and it specifies different
 110    privilege requirements than <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> uses.
 111   </para>
 112  </refsect1>
 113
 114  <refsect1>
 115   <title>See Also</title>
 116
 117   <simplelist type="inline">
 118    <member><xref linkend="sql-createrole"/></member>
 119    <member><xref linkend="sql-alterrole"/></member>
 120    <member><xref linkend="sql-set-role"/></member>
 121   </simplelist>
 122  </refsect1>
 123
 124 </refentry>