How to configure a PostgreSQL database server with Webmin on Ubuntu Server – Easy Steps

PostgreSQL is an advanced and lightweight database tool for Linux and other platforms. It’s well supported on Ubuntu, but setting one up and managing it via terminal can be quite annoying.

There is a better way to configure a PostgreSQL database server on Ubuntu. How? With Webmin, the modern administration interface for Unix systems. Here’s how to use Webmin to create a PostgreSQL database on your Ubuntu system.

Webmin installation on Ubuntu Server

If you are interested in using the PostgreSQL module in Webmin, you will need to configure Webmin on your Ubuntu server. For the application to work, you will need to install a DEB package from the Webmin website.

To start the Webmin installation, open a terminal window and access the server via SSH. Or use the TTY console on the server by physically sitting at it. Once you’ve gained command line access, use the commands below to get the latest version of Webmin working on your Ubuntu Server machine.

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_1.981_all.deb

sudo apt install ./webmin_1.981_all.deb

This section should be more than enough to help you get Webmin up and running in your Ubuntu server setup. With that said, if you need more guidance on how to configure the tool, please follow our guide on how to configure Webmin on Ubuntu Server.

Setting your root password

The Webmin web user interface uses the user’s root account and root password to log in. However, you will not be able to log into the Ubuntu server as the Ubuntu system locks the root account by default.

if you want to set the root password on your Ubuntu server system, start by getting a root shell using sudo -s.

sudo -s

Now that you have a root shell, you will be able to set the root password for Ubuntu Server. Using the passwd command, tell Ubuntu that you are giving the root account a new password. Make sure the root password is strong and easy to remember.

Note: If you need help generating a password, try the StrongPasswordGenerator.

passwd

With the root password correctly configured in Ubuntu, you can now access the Webmin web user interface. Open your favorite web browser, enter “root” in the username box and the root password in the “password” box.

http://YOUR_UBUNTU_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME:10000

Installing the PostgreSQL packages through Webmin

PostgreSQL packages must be installed on Ubuntu Server before the PostgreSQL Webmin module can be accessed. To install the package on your Ubuntu server, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Paso 1: Access the Webmin web user interface. Then, click on the menu button on the left sidebar.

Paso 2: Once inside the sidebar, find the “Unused modules” section and click on the down arrow icon to reveal your menu items.

Paso 3: Find “PostgreSQL Database Server” in the “Unused Modules” section and click on it with your mouse. Selecting this will show you the PostgreSQL module section in Webmin.

Paso 4: Look for the green “Install Now” button within Webmin and click on it with the mouse to tell Webmin that you want to install the PostgreSQL packages on Ubuntu.

Paso 5: After selecting the green “Install Now” button, a blue “Install Button” will appear. Select it to confirm that you want to install the PostgreSQL packages on your Ubuntu system with Webmin.

Paso 6: Find the “Update Modules” button at the bottom of the Webmin sidebar and click on it to update the modules.

Setting up your PostgreSQL database in Webmin

The default settings for PostgreSQL in Webmin should be sufficient for most beginners. With that said, if you are not new to PostgreSQL and want to configure your database settings, this is how you can go about it.

Paso 1: Find the Webmin sidebar on the left and click on it with your mouse. Then it will load the PostgreSQL database server configuration area.

Paso 2: Find the gear icon in the upper left corner of the page and click on it to access the PostgreSQL module settings.

Paso 3: After configuring the module settings, go to “User, groups and permissions” to change the settings related to the PostgreSQL database server.

Creating a new database in Webmin

Do the following if you want to create a new PostgreSQL database in Webmin on your Ubuntu server.

Paso 1: Access the PostgreSQL database area in Webmin by selecting it under “Server” in the Webmin sidebar.

Paso 2: Find the “Create a new database” button in the PostgreSQL Webmin area and click on it with the mouse.

Paso 3: In the “Database name” box, enter the name of your PostgreSQL database. Then set your custom settings and click the green “Create” button to create the new database.