DROP_ROLE - remove a database role

The SQL standard defines DROPROLE, but it allows only one role to be dropped at a time, and it specifies different privilege requirements than PostgreSQL uses.

DROPROLE removes the specified role(s). To drop a superuser role, you must be a superuser yourself; to drop non-superuser roles, you must have CREATEROLE privilege and have been granted ADMIN OPTION on the role. A role cannot be removed if it is still referenced in any database of the cluster; an error will be raised if so. Before dropping the role, you must drop all the objects it owns (or reassign their ownership) and revoke any privileges the role has been granted on other objects. The REASSIGNOWNED and DROPOWNED commands can be useful for this purpose; see Section 21.4 for more discussion. However, it is not necessary to remove role memberships involving the role; DROPROLE automatically revokes any memberships of the target role in other roles, and of other roles in the target role. The other roles are not dropped nor otherwise affected.

To drop a role: DROP ROLE jonathan;

DROP_ROLE - remove a database role

PostgreSQL includes a program dropuser(1) that has the same functionality as this command (in fact, it calls this command) but can be run from the command shell.

IF EXISTS Do not throw an error if the role does not exist. A notice is issued in this case. name The name of the role to remove.

CREATE ROLE (CREATE_ROLE(7)), ALTER ROLE (ALTER_ROLE(7)), SET ROLE (SET_ROLE(7)) PostgreSQL 17.5 2025 DROPROLE(7)

DROP ROLE [ IF EXISTS ] name [, ...]