Pgcli Row-Level Security

Pgcli Row-Level Security lets you inspect and enforce access policies on PostgreSQL tables with precision. Pgcli is a command-line client for Postgres with autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and quick navigation. Combined with PostgreSQL’s Row-Level Security (RLS), you can lock down records so only the right users—or roles—can see them.

RLS works by attaching policies directly to tables. When a query runs, PostgreSQL checks these policies before returning rows. This happens on SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE. If the policy blocks the row, Pgcli won’t display it, because the database simply doesn’t send it.

To enable Row-Level Security in PostgreSQL:

ALTER TABLE accounts ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

Define a policy:

CREATE POLICY account_owner_policy
ON accounts
FOR SELECT
USING (owner_id = current_setting('app.current_user')::int);

In Pgcli, you can switch the app.current_user setting dynamically:

SET app.current_user = '42';

Run:

SELECT * FROM accounts;

You’ll see only the rows allowed by the policy. No extra logic in your queries, no application-layer filtering.

Best practices for Pgcli and RLS:

• Create clear, specific policies for each role.
• Test policies directly in Pgcli to confirm behavior.
• Use EXPLAIN in Pgcli to verify query plans and security filters.
• Keep RLS rules under version control alongside schema changes.

Pgcli’s speed makes testing RLS frictionless. You can switch users, run queries, and confirm results in seconds. This tight feedback loop ensures your policies work as intended before code reaches production.

Row-Level Security isn’t just hiding data—it’s enforcing trust at the source. And with Pgcli, that enforcement becomes transparent and fast to validate.

Want to see secure, policy-driven data access with real-time controls? Try it on hoop.dev and watch it work in minutes.