Psql Power Tips: 10 Meta‑Commands Every Beginner Should Know

“Master these 10 psql commands and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.”

psql is PostgreSQL’s Swiss‑Army knife—fast, scriptable, everywhere. Its true power lives in meta‑commands (\ shortcuts). Learn these ten and jump from novice to power user.

1. Everywhere — SSH into any server, psql is there.
2. Scriptable — Pipe commands, integrate with CI/CD.
3. Fast & reliable — No GUI latency, survives flaky links.
4. Educational — Forces deeper understanding.

Use \l+ at login to spot huge DBs.

Hop between DBs without new terminals.

Instant data‑model overview; large tables jump out in \dt+.