Database: "Error: too many connections for database "postgres""

Last edited: 5/5/2026

When getting an error where your connections are overwhelmed Error: too many connections for database "postgres"

Why this occurs#

This issue occurs when datconnlimit gets modified. The default value for datconnlimit is -1. https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/catalog-pg-database.html

To check and resolve#

  1. Check the value for datconnlimit using the query below

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    select datconnlimit from pg_database where datname='postgres';
    • If the value you see is 0 or any other value other than -1, proceed with the next step.

  2. Update datconnlimit to DEFAULT

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    ALTER DATABASE postgres CONNECTION LIMIT DEFAULT;