Role-Based Access Control in pgcli for PostgreSQL

The terminal blinks, waiting for your next command. You’ve connected to your database, but not everyone should see or change everything. This is where pgcli Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) turns from an idea into a system you can enforce.

Pgcli is a command-line interface for PostgreSQL with autocomplete and syntax highlighting. When combined with RBAC, it becomes a fast, secure way to manage permissions without sacrificing speed or control. RBAC lets you define roles, grant privileges, and apply them to users with precision. In PostgreSQL, roles can be users, groups, or both. Pgcli gives you a quick way to inspect, assign, and revoke those roles in real time.

To implement RBAC in pgcli, start by connecting to your database:

pgcli -h your-db-host -U admin -d your-db-name

Create a role with specific privileges:

CREATE ROLE analyst;
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO analyst;

Assign the role to a user:

GRANT analyst TO tom;

With pgcli, you can instantly check role grants:

\du

And revoke them with certainty:

REVOKE analyst FROM tom;

The advantage of using pgcli for RBAC is speed and visibility. The interface shows permissions clearly and allows quick edits without long SQL scripts. This reduces errors when managing large teams or production environments.

Good RBAC design starts with least privilege. Create roles for real tasks, not people. Keep write access limited. Review grants regularly. Pgcli makes these checks part of your normal workflow instead of a separate audit.

Secure databases run on strong access controls. RBAC in pgcli gives you the tools to enforce them with clarity and speed. Test it now and see it live in minutes at hoop.dev.