createdb

Create a database owned by the current user

$ createdb [database_name]

$ createdb --owner [username] [database_name] '[description]'

$ createdb --template [template_name] [database_name]

createdb [options] [dbname [description]]

-D tablespace or --tablespace=tablespace
    Specifies the default tablespace for the database. If not specified, the database will use the default tablespace of the template database.

-E encoding or --encoding=encoding
    Specifies the character set encoding to use for the new database. For example, UTF8, LATIN1.

-l locale or --locale=locale
    Specifies the locale to use for the new database.

-O dbowner or --owner=dbowner
    Specifies the user account that will own the new database. By default, this is the user running createdb.

-T template or --template=template
    Specifies the template database from which to create the new database. The default is template1.

-U username or --username=username
    Connect to the database server as the given user.

-w or --no-password
    Never issue a password prompt. If the server requires password authentication and a password is not available by other means such as a .pgpass file, the connection attempt will fail.

-W or --password
    Force createdb to prompt for a password before connecting to the database.

-e or --echo
    Show the SQL commands that createdb generates.

-h hostname or --host=hostname
    Specifies the hostname of the database server to connect to.

-p port or --port=port
    Specifies the port number of the database server to connect to.

-V or --version
    Print the createdb version and exit.

--help
    Show help about createdb command line arguments, and exit.

dbname
    The name of the database to create.

The createdb command is a utility for creating new PostgreSQL databases. It's a wrapper around the SQL command CREATE DATABASE. It allows you to create databases from the command line with various options for specifying the database name, owner, encoding, template, and other properties.
The command simplifies the process of database creation for administrators and users who may not be familiar with SQL directly. It handles the underlying SQL commands and connection details, allowing users to focus on defining the characteristics of the database.
It connects to the PostgreSQL server using the connection parameters specified on the command line or in the environment variables. When executed successfully, it creates a new, empty database ready for use. If an error occurs (e.g., database already exists, insufficient permissions), createdb will display an error message. It is typically used in scripts or by system administrators to automate database provisioning.

Requires appropriate permissions to create databases on the PostgreSQL server. The user running createdb must either be a superuser or have CREATEDB privilege. If no template is specified, `template1` is used, which must be a suitable clean template database.

createdb uses the environment variables PGHOST, PGPORT, PGUSER, and PGDATABASE for connection parameters. It also uses PGPASSWORD (though it's recommended to use .pgpass instead for security). These are the same variables used by other PostgreSQL client applications.

createdb exits with status 0 if successful, and with status 1 if an error occurs.

dropdb(1), psql(1), createdb(1)