How to Connect DBeaver to PostgreSQL

Before you start

You need DBeaver installed (see the DBeaver install guide) and these details for the PostgreSQL server: host name or IP address, port, database name, user name and password. The PostgreSQL default port is 5432. If the server is on another machine, check two server settings before you blame DBeaver:

• listen_addresses. According to the PostgreSQL documentation, the default value is localhost, which allows only local loopback connections. A remote client cannot connect until the server listens on a network interface.
• pg_hba.conf. The server must have a matching host-based authentication entry for your user, database and client address.

Create the DBeaver PostgreSQL connection

The steps below follow DBeaver's Create connection and PostgreSQL documentation:

1. Select the New Connection Wizard button in the toolbar or the Connections view, or press Ctrl+Shift+N.
2. Select PostgreSQL in the driver list (you can search for it) and select Next.
3. On the Main tab, set Connect by to Host, then enter the Host, Port (5432 unless your server uses another port) and Database.
4. Under Authentication, choose username and password authentication and enter the user and password. Other documented options include pgpass, Kerberos, SSPI (Windows single sign-on) and cloud IAM methods.
5. Tick Show all databases if you want every database on the server in the Connections tree. DBeaver notes this works only when connecting by host, not by URL.
6. Select Test Connection. The result dialog shows the driver version. Then select Finish.

The new connection appears in the Connections tree. From there you can open a SQL editor, browse schemas, or open an ER diagram of a schema.

Connecting through an SSH tunnel or with SSL

SSH tunnel

Use an SSH tunnel when PostgreSQL is not reachable from your network but an SSH server in front of it is. In the connection dialog, select the plus button and choose SSH; an SSH tab appears. Enter the SSH Host/IP, Port (22 by default) and User name, choose Password, Public Key or Agent authentication, and select Test tunnel configuration.

DBeaver's SSH guide then says to set the host on the Main tab to localhost, which is right when PostgreSQL runs on the SSH server itself. DBeaver forwards a random local port to the database port automatically, but only for host-based connections: if you connect by URL, you must set the local and remote ports yourself in the tunnel's advanced settings. Jump servers are supported for multi-hop access.

SSL

Select the plus button and choose SSL. The SSL tab takes the CA certificate, client certificate and client private key paths, and an SSL Mode. The PostgreSQL JDBC driver documents the same modes as libpq: require fails if the connection cannot be encrypted, verify-ca also checks the certificate chain, and verify-full also checks that the host name matches the certificate. The driver documentation recommends verify-full in most security-sensitive environments.

If you see a PKIX path building failed error, DBeaver's SSL page points to an incorrect SSL configuration; import the server's CA certificate rather than disabling validation on production servers.

Common DBeaver PostgreSQL connection errors

These messages come from PostgreSQL, so the fix is usually on the server. The explanations follow the PostgreSQL 18 documentation.

• Connection refused or timed out. The server is not listening on the address you used, a firewall blocks port 5432, or the host or port is wrong. Check listen_addresses (a change needs a server restart) and the firewall.
• no pg_hba.conf entry for host ... PostgreSQL received the request but found no matching line in pg_hba.conf. Add an entry for the client address, database, user and authentication method, then reload the configuration.
• password authentication failed for user ... The server is willing to talk to you, but the password (or Kerberos or ident setup) does not satisfy the method in pg_hba.conf.
• database ... does not exist or user ... does not exist. Check the spelling and case of the name in the Main tab.

PostgreSQL's documentation adds that the server log often has more detail about an authentication failure than the client sees. In DBeaver, Window, Show View, Error Log shows client-side errors.

host    postgres        all             192.168.12.10/32        scram-sha-256

SELECT pg_reload_conf();

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• DBeaver docs: Create connection
• DBeaver docs: PostgreSQL
• DBeaver docs: SSH configuration
• DBeaver docs: SSL configuration
• DBeaver docs: FAQ (driver version)
• PostgreSQL 18 docs: Connection settings
• PostgreSQL 18 docs: The pg_hba.conf file
• PostgreSQL 18 docs: Authentication problems
• PostgreSQL JDBC driver: Using SSL
• PostgreSQL versioning policy

Checked 8 October 2026.

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