Brew Postgresql Starts But Process Is Not Running

Question

I have installed Postgres via Brew on a Mac. Then, I have tried to start it ``` | => brew services restart postgres Stopping `postgresql`... (might take a while) ==> Successfully stopped `postgresql` (label: homebrew.mxcl.postgresql) ==> Successfully started `postgresql` (label: homebrew.mxcl.postgresql) ``` After that, I inspect to see if the process is running ``` (base) ________________________________________________________________________________ | ~/ @ MacBook-Pro (user) | => ps -ef | grep postgres 501 61568 561 0 5:00PM ttys000 0:00.00 grep postgres ``` In addition, `brew services` produces the following ``` | => brew services Name Status User Plist dnsmasq unknown root /Library/LaunchDaemons/homebrew.mxcl.dnsmasq.plist emacs stopped postgresql error root /Library/LaunchDaemons/homebrew.mxcl.postgresql.plist postgresql@12 stopped rabbitmq stopped unbound stopped ``` Any help on how to troubleshoot this is appreciated.

Accepted Answer

Unlike a builtin pkg manger in Linux, Homebrew on macOS doesn't require `root` privilege during most `brew` command. The only exception is `sudo brew services` when you're starting a services listen on port < 1024.

Answer to your question: you messed up file permission with `sudo brew services`.

The solution works for x86 Mac. I've not tested it on M1 mac. (Homebrew stores related files under `/usr/local` on x86 Mac, under `/opt/homebrew` under M1 Mac.)

```
### Run in Bash or Zsh

# Stop postgresql
sudo brew services stop postgresql
# In case service file is copied to ~/Library/LaunchAgents as well
brew services stop postgresql

# Fix permission of homebrew files
sudo chown -R $USER:admin $(brew --prefix)/*

# Remove socket like `/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432`

# Restart postgresql without sudo
brew services start postgresql
```

Besides above fix, you may also need to

- Do a db migration from psql 12 -> psql 13, check `brew info postgresl` for detail

- Start psql manually and check the start log

```
# Change /usr/local to /opt/homebrew on M1 Mac
# Check the start log
pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres start

# to stop it
pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres stop
```

sudo and brew

I'm not saying `postgresql` can't be started as root, but the Homebrew and `brew services` are not designed to work with `sudo`.

And `sudo brew services` changes some of the files' owner to `root`. You'd better change them back being owned by yourself.

Here's an example (check the Warning part)

```
❯ sudo brew services start adguardhome
Warning: Taking root:admin ownership of some adguardhome paths:
  /usr/local/Cellar/adguardhome/0.106.3/bin
  /usr/local/Cellar/adguardhome/0.106.3/bin/AdGuardHome
  /usr/local/opt/adguardhome
  /usr/local/opt/adguardhome/bin
  /usr/local/var/homebrew/linked/adguardhome
This will require manual removal of these paths using `sudo rm` on
brew upgrade/reinstall/uninstall.
Warning: adguardhome must be run as non-root to start at user login!
==> Successfully started `adguardhome` (label: homebrew.mxcl.adguardhome)
```

`sudo brew services` is not that intelligent enough to change the files' onwer bach to `$USER` automatically.

I've written a script to do this: `brew-fix-perm`. But this is not enough in your case. You have to change back the ownership of postgres configuration files under `$(brew --prefix)/var/postgres`. That's why I put `sudo chown -R $USER:admin $(brew --prefix)/*`.

Brew Postgresql Starts But Process Is Not Running

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