# Error password authentication failed for user "postgres" **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [January 10, 2022, 5:59am UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648 "2022-01-10T05:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anelso42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@anelso42](https://forums.docker.com/u/anelso42)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 5:59am UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/1 "2022-01-10T05:59:21Z")
I’m trying to connect to a Postgres image running on a docker container and I’m having trouble connecting to it. ``` version: '3.4' services: postgres: image: postgres:alpine environment: POSTGRES_USER: postgres POSTGRES_PASSWORD: password POSTGRES_DB: postgres logging: options: max-size: 10m max-file: "3" ports: - "5432:5432" ``` I know the container is successfully running on port 5432: ``` CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS PORTS NAMES a553b2135fcf postgres:alpine "docker-entrypoint.s…" 3 seconds ago Up 2 seconds 0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp, :::5432->5432/tcp postgres ``` I tried to connect two ways. **PgAdmin** ``` PgAdmin: General Name: postgres PgAdmin: Connection Hostname/address: 127.0.0.1 Port: 5432 Maintenance database: postgres Username: postgres Password: password ``` I received the following error: ``` Unable to connect to server: FATAL: password authentication failed for user "postgres" ``` **Visual Studio Code** ``` Hostname: 127.0.0.1 Postgres User: postgres Postgres Password; password Port number: 5432 Standard Connection ``` I get the same error: ``` password authentication failed for user "postgres" ``` ---
**Author:** ![rimelek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/rimelek/32/41602_2.png) [@rimelek](https://forums.docker.com/u/rimelek)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/2 "2022-01-10T20:50:59Z")
Can you connect from the container using the same username and password? ---
**Author:** ![escote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/escote/32/34290_2.png) [@escote](https://forums.docker.com/u/escote)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 1:43am UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/3 "2022-04-28T01:43:39Z")
Envs are used by postgres initdb to create your postgresql instance. If you changed yours envs after first execution, you need to delete the postgres container to force a recreation using new envs. If you have defined a volume, you will also need to remove it. ---
**Author:** ![ricsegundo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/ricsegundo/32/35066_2.png) [@ricsegundo](https://forums.docker.com/u/ricsegundo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/4 "2022-06-19T22:05:44Z")
Hi there! Can the problem be the semi-colon after the password, on the VS Codedile: **Visual Studio Code** ```auto Hostname: 127.0.0.1 Postgres User: postgres **Postgres Password; password** Port number: 5432 Standard Connection ``` ---
**Author:** ![dockerascodigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/dockerascodigo/32/36289_2.png) [@dockerascodigo](https://forums.docker.com/u/dockerascodigo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/5 "2022-09-08T15:07:54Z")
Hi, I am going through the same situation, from the container I can enter without problems, but when I do a get from my api it gives me that error. How did you fix it? ---
**Author:** ![vithesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/vithesh/32/48872_2.png) [@vithesh](https://forums.docker.com/u/vithesh)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 9:09am UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/6 "2024-06-29T09:09:26Z")
it will work if you change the local port attached to docker port something like 1234:5432 i think its because postgressql is installed in the system and its listening to teh port 5432 and the port in docker is colliding with it. remove postgres from the system ---
**Author:** ![comrade747](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/comrade747/32/55304_2.png) [@comrade747](https://forums.docker.com/u/comrade747)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/7 "2025-01-04T20:17:49Z")
Excellent! thanks a lot ---
**Author:** ![lukefer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/lukefer/32/60547_2.png) [@lukefer](https://forums.docker.com/u/lukefer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/8 "2025-07-18T17:23:33Z")
If you run the container once with a different password and then restart it with another password, it won’t update the existing database because it’s already initialized. Try removing the old volumes or using a different volume. ---
**Author:** ![khairulbasar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/khairulbasar/32/62785_2.png) [@khairulbasar](https://forums.docker.com/u/khairulbasar)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 7:41pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/9 "2025-12-11T19:41:00Z")
Thank you very much, Bro I stacked for two days, you help me to find out what’s the problem. grateful to you 😍 ---
**Author:** ![linus4566](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/docker/user_avatar/forums.docker.com/linus4566/32/65176_2.png) [@linus4566](https://forums.docker.com/u/linus4566)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://forums.docker.com/t/error-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres/119648/10 "2026-07-07T20:52:29Z")
Thank you very much!!