.. _installation:

Installation
============

.. sectionauthor:: Daniele Varrazzo <daniele.varrazzo@gmail.com>

Psycopg is a PostgreSQL_ adapter for the Python_ programming language. It is a
wrapper for the libpq_, the official PostgreSQL client library.

.. _PostgreSQL: https://www.postgresql.org/
.. _Python: https://www.python.org/


.. index::
    single: Install; from PyPI
    single: Install; wheel
    single: Wheel

.. _binary-packages:

Quick Install
-------------

For most operating systems, the quickest way to install Psycopg is using the
wheel_ package available on PyPI_:

.. code-block:: console

    $ pip install psycopg2-binary

This will install a pre-compiled binary version of the module which does not
require the build or runtime prerequisites described below. Make sure to use
an up-to-date version of :program:`pip` (you can upgrade it using something
like ``pip install -U pip``).

You may then import the ``psycopg2`` package, as usual:

.. code-block:: python

    import psycopg2

    # Connect to your postgres DB
    conn = psycopg2.connect("dbname=test user=postgres")

    # Open a cursor to perform database operations
    cur = conn.cursor()

    # Execute a query
    cur.execute("SELECT * FROM my_data")

    # Retrieve query results
    records = cur.fetchall()

.. _PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/psycopg2-binary/
.. _wheel: https://pythonwheels.com/


psycopg vs psycopg-binary
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The ``psycopg2-binary`` package is meant for beginners to start playing
with Python and PostgreSQL without the need to meet the build
requirements.

If you are the maintainer of a published package depending on `!psycopg2`
you shouldn't use ``psycopg2-binary`` as a module dependency. **For
production use you are advised to use the source distribution.**

The binary packages come with their own versions of a few C libraries,
among which ``libpq`` and ``libssl``, which will be used regardless of other
libraries available on the client: upgrading the system libraries will not
upgrade the libraries used by `!psycopg2`. Please build `!psycopg2` from
source if you want to maintain binary upgradeability.

.. warning::

    The `!psycopg2` wheel package comes packaged, among the others, with its
    own ``libssl`` binary. This may create conflicts with other extension
    modules binding with ``libssl`` as well, for instance with the Python
    `ssl` module: in some cases, under concurrency, the interaction between
    the two libraries may result in a segfault. In case of doubts you are
    advised to use a package built from source.


.. index::
    single: Install; disable wheel
    single: Wheel; disable

.. _disable-wheel:

Change in binary packages between Psycopg 2.7 and 2.8
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In version 2.7.x, :command:`pip install psycopg2` would have tried to install
automatically the binary package of Psycopg. Because of concurrency problems
binary packages have displayed, ``psycopg2-binary`` has become a separate
package, and from 2.8 it has become the only way to install the binary
package.

If you are using Psycopg 2.7 and you want to disable the use of wheel binary
packages, relying on the system libraries available on your client, you
can use the :command:`pip` |--no-binary option|__, e.g.:

.. code-block:: console

    $ pip install --no-binary :all: psycopg2

.. |--no-binary option| replace:: ``--no-binary`` option
.. __: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/reference/pip_install/#install-no-binary

which can be specified in your :file:`requirements.txt` files too, e.g. use:

.. code-block:: none

    psycopg2>=2.7,<2.8 --no-binary psycopg2

to use the last bugfix release of the `!psycopg2` 2.7 package, specifying to
always compile it from source. Of course in this case you will have to meet
the :ref:`build prerequisites <build-prerequisites>`.


.. index::
    single: Prerequisites

Prerequisites
-------------

The current `!psycopg2` implementation supports:

..
    NOTE: keep consistent with setup.py and the /features/ page.

- Python versions from 3.7 to 3.12
- PostgreSQL server versions from 7.4 to 16
- PostgreSQL client library version from 9.1

.. note::

    Not all the psycopg2 versions support all the supported Python versions.

    Please see the :ref:`release notes <news>` to verify when the support for
    a new Python version was added and when the support for an old Python
    version was removed.


.. _build-prerequisites:

Build prerequisites
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The build prerequisites are to be met in order to install Psycopg from source
code, from a source distribution package, GitHub_ or from PyPI.

.. _GitHub: https://github.com/psycopg/psycopg2

Psycopg is a C wrapper around the libpq_ PostgreSQL client library. To install
it from sources you will need:

- A C compiler.

- The Python header files. They are usually installed in a package such as
  **python-dev** or **python3-dev**. A message such as *error: Python.h: No
  such file or directory* is an indication that the Python headers are
  missing.

- The libpq header files. They are usually installed in a package such as
  **libpq-dev**. If you get an *error: libpq-fe.h: No such file or directory*
  you are missing them.

- The :program:`pg_config` program: it is usually installed by the
  **libpq-dev** package but sometimes it is not in a :envvar:`PATH` directory.
  Having it in the :envvar:`PATH` greatly streamlines the installation, so try
  running ``pg_config --version``: if it returns an error or an unexpected
  version number then locate the directory containing the :program:`pg_config`
  shipped with the right libpq version (usually
  ``/usr/lib/postgresql/X.Y/bin/``) and add it to the :envvar:`PATH`:

  .. code-block:: console

    $ export PATH=/usr/lib/postgresql/X.Y/bin/:$PATH

  You only need :program:`pg_config` to compile `!psycopg2`, not for its
  regular usage.

Once everything is in place it's just a matter of running the standard:

.. code-block:: console

    $ pip install psycopg2

or, from the directory containing the source code:

.. code-block:: console

    $ python setup.py build
    $ python setup.py install


Runtime requirements
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Unless you compile `!psycopg2` as a static library, or you install it from a
self-contained wheel package, it will need the libpq_ library at runtime
(usually distributed in a ``libpq.so`` or ``libpq.dll`` file).  `!psycopg2`
relies on the host OS to find the library if the library is installed in a
standard location there is usually no problem; if the library is in a
non-standard location you will have to tell Psycopg how to find it,
which is OS-dependent (for instance setting a suitable
:envvar:`LD_LIBRARY_PATH` on Linux).

.. note::

    The libpq header files used to compile `!psycopg2` should match the
    version of the library linked at runtime. If you get errors about missing
    or mismatching libraries when importing `!psycopg2` check (e.g. using
    :program:`ldd`) if the module ``psycopg2/_psycopg.so`` is linked to the
    right ``libpq.so``.

.. note::

    Whatever version of libpq `!psycopg2` is compiled with, it will be
    possible to connect to PostgreSQL servers of any supported version: just
    install the most recent libpq version or the most practical, without
    trying to match it to the version of the PostgreSQL server you will have
    to connect to.


.. index::
    single: setup.py
    single: setup.cfg

Non-standard builds
-------------------

If you have less standard requirements such as:

- creating a :ref:`debug build <debug-build>`,
- using :program:`pg_config` not in the :envvar:`PATH`,

then take a look at the ``setup.cfg`` file.

Some of the options available in ``setup.cfg`` are also available as command
line arguments of the ``build_ext`` sub-command. For instance you can specify
an alternate :program:`pg_config` location using:

.. code-block:: console

    $ python setup.py build_ext --pg-config /path/to/pg_config build

Use ``python setup.py build_ext --help`` to get a list of the options
supported.


.. index::
    single: debug
    single: PSYCOPG_DEBUG

.. _debug-build:

Creating a debug build
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In case of problems, Psycopg can be configured to emit detailed debug
messages, which can be very useful for diagnostics and to report a bug. In
order to create a debug package:

- `Download`__ and unpack the Psycopg *source package* (the ``.tar.gz``
  package).

- Edit the ``setup.cfg`` file adding the ``PSYCOPG_DEBUG`` flag to the
  ``define`` option.

- :ref:`Compile and install <build-prerequisites>` the package.

- Set the :envvar:`PSYCOPG_DEBUG` environment variable:

.. code-block:: console

    $ export PSYCOPG_DEBUG=1

- Run your program (making sure that the `!psycopg2` package imported is the
  one you just compiled and not e.g. the system one): you will have a copious
  stream of informations printed on stderr.

.. __: https://pypi.org/project/psycopg2/#files


Non-standard Python Implementation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The `psycopg2` package is the current mature implementation of the adapter: it
is a C extension and as such it is only compatible with CPython_. If you want
to use Psycopg on a different Python implementation (PyPy, Jython, IronPython)
there is a couple of alternative:

- a `Ctypes port`__, but it is not as mature as the C implementation yet
  and it is not as feature-complete;

- a `CFFI port`__ which is currently more used and reported more efficient on
  PyPy, but please be careful of its version numbers because they are not
  aligned to the official psycopg2 ones and some features may differ.

.. _PostgreSQL: https://www.postgresql.org/
.. _Python: https://www.python.org/
.. _libpq: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/libpq.html
.. _CPython: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPython
.. _Ctypes: https://docs.python.org/library/ctypes.html
.. __: https://github.com/mvantellingen/psycopg2-ctypes
.. __: https://github.com/chtd/psycopg2cffi


.. index::
    single: tests

.. _test-suite:

Running the test suite
----------------------

Once `!psycopg2` is installed you can run the test suite to verify it is
working correctly. From the source directory, you can run:

.. code-block:: console

    $ python -c "import tests; tests.unittest.main(defaultTest='tests.test_suite')" --verbose

The tests run against a database called ``psycopg2_test`` on UNIX socket and
the standard port. You can configure a different database to run the test by
setting the environment variables:

- :envvar:`PSYCOPG2_TESTDB`
- :envvar:`PSYCOPG2_TESTDB_HOST`
- :envvar:`PSYCOPG2_TESTDB_PORT`
- :envvar:`PSYCOPG2_TESTDB_USER`

The database should already exist before running the tests.


.. _other-problems:

If you still have problems
--------------------------

Try the following. *In order:*

- Read again the :ref:`build-prerequisites`.

- Read the :ref:`FAQ <faq-compile>`.

- Google for `!psycopg2` *your error message*. Especially useful the week
  after the release of a new OS X version.

- Write to the `Mailing List`_.

- If you think that you have discovered a bug, test failure or missing feature
  please raise a ticket in the `bug tracker`_.

- Complain on your blog or on Twitter that `!psycopg2` is the worst package
  ever and about the quality time you have wasted figuring out the correct
  :envvar:`ARCHFLAGS`. Especially useful from the Starbucks near you.

.. _mailing list: https://www.postgresql.org/list/psycopg/
.. _bug tracker: https://github.com/psycopg/psycopg2/issues
