PostgreSQL admin shutdown (error code 57P01) occurs when an administrator or process initiates a server shutdown. This prevents new connections and terminates existing sessions, typically during maintenance or due to system signals.
The "Admin shutdown" error indicates that the PostgreSQL server has received a shutdown command from an administrator or system process. This is usually triggered by a SIGTERM signal sent to the server postmaster process. When this error occurs, the database becomes unavailable and all client connections are terminated. This is a normal operational event during scheduled maintenance or restarts, but unexpected occurrences may indicate unplanned administrative intervention or system issues.
Verify with your system administrator or DevOps team if this shutdown was intentional as part of scheduled maintenance. Check your maintenance calendar or recent tickets for any planned database work.
Review the PostgreSQL server logs to understand why the shutdown occurred:
# On Linux/macOS
tail -n 100 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-<version>-main.log
# View logs in real-time during restart
tail -f /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-<version>-main.logLook for messages like "terminating connection due to administrator command" or crash-related entries.
If the shutdown was unplanned and the underlying issue has been resolved, restart the service:
# Using systemctl (modern Linux)
sudo systemctl restart postgresql
# Using service (older systems)
sudo service postgresql restart
# Using pg_ctl directly
sudo -u postgres /usr/lib/postgresql/<version>/bin/pg_ctl -D /var/lib/postgresql/<version>/data startVerify the service is running:
sudo systemctl status postgresqlIf the shutdown was unexpected, investigate system-level issues:
# Check disk space
df -h
# Check memory availability
free -h
# Check system logs for OOM kills
sudo journalctl -xe
sudo dmesg | tail -20If resources were exhausted, resolve the underlying capacity issues before restarting.
Check if recent changes to PostgreSQL configuration may have triggered the shutdown:
# Review postgresql.conf
sudo cat /var/lib/postgresql/<version>/data/postgresql.conf
# Check pg_hba.conf for authentication rule changes
sudo cat /var/lib/postgresql/<version>/data/pg_hba.confRevert any problematic configuration changes and retry the restart.
If the shutdown was sudden or unclean, PostgreSQL will perform crash recovery on startup. Monitor the logs during startup for recovery messages. If recovery fails, consider using pg_resetwal (only as a last resort with guidance from PostgreSQL community):
# Let PostgreSQL handle recovery automatically on restart
# Do NOT manually intervene unless specifically advisedIn containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes), admin shutdowns are often orchestrated by container runtimes or orchestrators. Check your container logs and orchestration platform logs. For rootless containers using systemd, enable linger to prevent automatic shutdown when the user logs out: loginctl enable-linger <username>. PostgreSQL supports three shutdown modes: smart (waits for connections), fast (aborts transactions), and immediate (force quit). The admin shutdown message typically results from a fast or immediate shutdown. If you see repeated unexpected shutdowns, implement monitoring with tools like Prometheus + pg_exporter to detect patterns.
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