dropdb
DatabasesPackage: postgresql-clientHandle with care
Deletes an entire database. --if-exists avoids the error when it does not exist, which makes a script rerunnable — and also makes the command silent.
A mistake with this command can destroy data or lock you out
- There is no confirmation outside
-i, and no undo. Check the name withpsql -l, and that a backup has been restored once already, before typing it.
What its options do in the lessons
From the same glossary the lessons render under their commands, so the two cannot disagree.
dropdb --if-exists- Returns no error if the database is absent — which is what a cleanup that must succeed either way needs.
Lessons that teach it
No lesson names it among its useful commands; it appears inside other lessons' command lines.