How can I increase maximum connections? (PostgreSQL)

Considerations

• Increased Memory Usage: Raising max_connections will increase memory consumption, which may impact performance.
• Better Alternative – Idle Session Timeout: Instead of increasing connections, consider setting an idle session timeout to close inactive connections automatically.

How to change Maximum Connections

Option 1: Update via Cloudpepper Dashboard

1. Go to the PostgreSQL tab of your server in My Cloudpepper.
2. Locate the max_connections parameter.
3. Adjust the value as needed.
4. Click Save to apply the changes.

Option 2: Manually Edit PostgreSQL Configuration

You can also change the max_connections setting directly in the PostgreSQL configuration file via SSH.

Step 1: Locate the Configuration File

• For PostgreSQL 12 (Odoo 11–13):

sudo nano /etc/postgresql/12/main/postgresql.conf

• For PostgreSQL 14 (Odoo 14–16):

sudo nano /etc/postgresql/14/main/postgresql.conf

Step 2: Modify ‘max_connections’

1. Find the line:

max_connections = 100

2. Adjust the value based on your requirements.
3. Save the file and exit.

Step 3: Restart PostgreSQL

Restart PostgreSQL after making changes:

sudo systemctl restart postgresql

How to adjust Idle Session Timeout

As increasing the maximum connections can increase memory consumption, consider an idle session timeout to close inactive connections automatically instead.

Example:

idle_session_timeout = 5min

This limits idle connections to 5 minutes, keeping the total connection count stable. Good for high-traffic instances with frequent user activity where inactive connections can rapidly accumulate.

Valid Time Units for idle_session_timeout

• us (microseconds)
• ms (milliseconds)
• s (seconds)
• min (minutes)
• h (hours)
• d (days)

By implementing an idle session timeout, you can often avoid the need to increase max_connections.