Documentation clarification request: pg_dumpall and Large Objects
Radoulov, Dimitre <cichomitiko@gmail.com>
From: "Radoulov, Dimitre" <cichomitiko@gmail.com>
To: pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org
Date: 2025-12-04T12:12:50Z
Lists: pgsql-docs
Hello, I would like to request a clarification in the pg_dumpall documentation regarding Large Objects (LOBs). The current documentation does not explicitly state whether pg_dumpall includes Large Objects in its output. In the source code (pg_dumpall.c), there is a comment indicating that pg_dumpall forces all pg_dump output to plain text. Since Large Objects are only included by pg_dump when using -b or non-text archive formats (custom/tar), pg_dumpall cannot include LOBs in its output. This behavior is clear from the implementation, but not from the documentation. I propose adding an explicit note such as: "pg_dumpall does not include Large Objects (BLOBs). To back up Large Objects, use pg_dump -b per database." This clarification would help prevent user confusion during cluster-wide backup procedures. Thank you. Best regards, Dimitre Radoulov
Commits
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Doc: clarify introductory description of pg_dumpall.
- e7b809ae7586 19 (unreleased) landed
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Add non-text output formats to pg_dumpall
- 763aaa06f034 19 (unreleased) cited