Running PostgreSQL on a Windows Host

The PostgreSQL developers reached a major milestone with the release of version 8.0. Starting with that release, PostgreSQL now runs as a native Windows application (in prior releases, PostgreSQL relied on the Cygwin package to provide a Unix-like environment on top of the Win32 subsystem). PostgreSQL version 8.0 runs as a true Windows application. The PostgreSQL server (that is, the postmaster) now runs as a Windows service—you can start and shutdown the PostgreSQL service through the Windows Control Panel.

Installing PostgreSQL version 8 is remarkably easy. If you've ever installed a commercial database on a Windows host, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the new PostgreSQL-for-Windows installer. Once you've installed PostgreSQL on a Windows host, you can manage the server (and your data files) using the same commands and tools that you would use on any other system. With the ODBC interface (see Chapter 12, “Using PostgreSQL from an ODBC Client Application”), the JDBC interface (see Chapter 13, “Using PostgreSQL from a Java Client Application”), and PostgreSQL's new .NET provider (see Chapter 18, “npqsql: The .NET Data Provider”), you can build PostgreSQL-enabled applications using any Windows-friendly programming environment.

In Chapter 21 I'll show you how to install PostgreSQL version 8.0 on a Windows host, and in Chapter 23 you'll learn how to secure PostgreSQL data, configuration, and program files against intruders.