Re: Possibility to disable `ALTER SYSTEM` - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Peter Eisentraut
Subject Re: Possibility to disable `ALTER SYSTEM`
Date
Msg-id 72006af4-fad4-4398-81d2-cef0fdd783f0@eisentraut.org
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Possibility to disable `ALTER SYSTEM`  (Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
Responses Re: Possibility to disable `ALTER SYSTEM`
List pgsql-hackers
On 31.01.24 06:28, Tom Lane wrote:
>> The idea of adding a file to the data directory appeals to me.
>>
>> optional_runtime_features.conf
>> alter_system=enabled
>> copy_from_program=enabled
>> copy_to_program=disabled
> ... so, exactly what keeps an uncooperative superuser from
> overwriting that file?

The point of this feature would be to keep the honest people honest.

The first thing I did when ALTER SYSTEM came out however many years ago 
was to install Nagios checks to warn when postgresql.auto.conf exists. 
Because the thing is an attractive nuisance, especially when you want to 
do centralized configuration control.  Of course you can bypass it using 
COPY PROGRAM etc., but then you *know* that you are *bypassing* 
something.  If you just see ALTER SYSTEM, you'll think, "that is 
obviously the appropriate tool", and there is no generally accepted way 
to communicate that, in particular environment, it might not be.




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