i was installing postgresql on ubuntu using linuxbrew:
brew install postgresql
it seems to work fine but after that because i was installing PostgreSQL for the first time i tried creating a database:
initdb /usr/local/var/postgres -E utf8
but it returned as:
initdb: command not found
i tried running the command with sudo but that doesn't helped
run locate initdb it should give you the list to chose. smth like:
MacBook-Air:~ vao$ locate initdb
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.5.3/bin/initdb
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.5.3/share/doc/postgresql/html/app-initdb.html
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.5.3/share/man/man1/initdb.1
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.6.1/bin/initdb
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.6.1/share/doc/postgresql/html/app-initdb.html
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.6.1/share/man/man1/initdb.1
/usr/local/bin/initdb
/usr/local/share/man/man1/initdb.1
So in my case I want to run
/usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.6.1/bin/initdb
If you don't have mlocate installed, either install it or use
sudo find / -name initdb
There's a good answer to a similar question on SuperUser.
In short:
initdb to create one.pg_createcluster to be used instead of initdb, with the latter not included in PATH so as to discourage end users from using it directly.And if you're just trying to create a database, not a database cluster, use the createdb command instead.
I had the same problem and found the answer here.
Ubuntu path is
/usr/lib/postgresql/9.6/bin/initdb
Edit: Sorry, Ahmed asked about linuxbrew, I'm talking about Ubuntu. I Hope this answer helps somebody.
I had a similar issue caused by the brew install postgresql not properly linking postgres. The solve for me was to run:
brew link --overwrite postgresql
if you installed postgresql and got initdb: command not found
you should add below line in ~/.bashrc (OR .zshrc) file:
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/lib/postgresql/x.y/bin/
and then
source ~/.bashrc
Actually the initdb is exist in that path. after that you can use initdb command.
you can add the PATH to run from any location
sudo nano ~/.profile
inside nano go to the end and add the following
# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "/usr/lib/postgresql/14/bin/" ] ; then
PATH="/usr/lib/postgresql/14/bin/:$PATH"
fi
and configure the alternative
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/initdb initdb /usr/lib/postgresql/14/bin/initdb 1
