Thread

1. PostgreSQL 17 Service Running but Not Listening on Network Port on Windows

   José António Gomes <jose.antonio.luanda@gmail.com> — 2025-06-18T15:38:56Z

   *Subject: PostgreSQL 17 Service Running but Not Listening on Network Port
   on Windows*
   
   *Environment:*
   
      - *Operating System:* Windows 10/11
      - *PostgreSQL Version:* 17 (Fresh Installation)
      - *Testing Tools:* Windows Services (services.msc), Command Prompt (
      netstat), DBeaver
   
   *Problem Description:* A fresh installation of PostgreSQL 17 on a Windows
   machine starts successfully according to the Windows Services Manager, but
   the process fails to open its configured network port (5432). This makes it
   impossible for any application to connect. The issue persists even after a
   complete and clean reinstallation.
   
   *Key Symptoms:*
   
      - The postgresql-x64-17 service shows a status of *"Running"* in
      services.msc.
      - The postgresql.conf file is correctly configured with listen_addresses
      = '*' and port = 5432.
      - The command netstat -aon | findstr "LISTEN" | findstr "postgres"
      returns *no output*, proving the process is not listening on any port.
      - The command netstat -aon | findstr ":5432" also returns *no output*,
      proving no other application is conflicting on that port.
   
   *Troubleshooting Steps Performed:*
   
      1. Verified the PostgreSQL service is "Running" after every
      configuration change.
      2. Verified the postgresql.conf settings (listen_addresses and port).
      3. Confirmed no other application is using port 5432 via netstat.
      4. Created a specific *port-based* inbound rule in Windows Defender
      Firewall to allow all TCP connections on port 5432.
      5. Created a more robust *program-based* inbound rule in Windows
      Defender Firewall for the postgres.exe executable (C:\Program
      Files\PostgreSQL\17\bin\postgres.exe).
      6. Restarted the PostgreSQL service after every configuration change.
      7. Performed a full uninstall, manual folder deletion, reboot, and clean
      reinstallation of PostgreSQL 17. (Note: The same issue was observed when
      testing with PostgreSQL 16).
      8. Considered and ruled out third-party antivirus as the user has none.
   
   *Conclusion:* The evidence strongly suggests the issue is not with the
   PostgreSQL configuration but with a low-level environmental factor on this
   specific Windows machine (e.g., a hidden security policy, a third-party
   security application that is not Windows Defender, or a corrupted Windows
   networking stack) that is preventing the postgres.exe process from
   successfully binding to a TCP socket.
   
   *Given that the PostgreSQL configuration is correct and standard firewall
   troubleshooting has been performed, the root cause appears to be an
   environmental issue on my Windows machine that is blocking the postgres.exe
   process from binding to its network port.*
   
   *My question is: What other, less common Windows-level factors could cause
   this specific behavior?*
   
   *For example, could this be related to:*
   
      - *Specific Group Policies (secpol.msc)?*
      - *Permissions issues tied to the 'Network Service' account that
      PostgreSQL runs under?*
      - *Conflicts with specific VPN software, virtualization software (like
      Hyper-V), or other low-level network drivers?*
      - *A known bug with the Windows networking stack itself?*
   
   *Any suggestions for deeper diagnostic steps or potential hidden conflicts
   on Windows would be greatly appreciated."*
   

2. Re: PostgreSQL 17 Service Running but Not Listening on Network Port on Windows

   David G. Johnston <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> — 2025-06-18T20:46:54Z

   On Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM José António Gomes <
   jose.antonio.luanda@gmail.com> wrote:
   
   >
   >
   > Any suggestions for deeper diagnostic steps or potential hidden conflicts
   > on Windows would be greatly appreciated."
   >
   
   Try using port 15432
   
   David J.
   

3. Re: PostgreSQL 17 Service Running but Not Listening on Network Port on Windows

   Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> — 2025-06-18T20:51:58Z

   =?UTF-8?B?Sm9zw6kgQW50w7NuaW8gR29tZXM=?= <jose.antonio.luanda@gmail.com> writes:
   > *Subject: PostgreSQL 17 Service Running but Not Listening on Network Port
   > on Windows*
   
   Did you examine the postmaster log?  The first few lines should show
   what ports it bound to.  For example, on a Linux box I see
   
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.536 EDT [12649] LOG:  starting PostgreSQL 17.5 on x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, compiled by gcc (GCC) 8.5.0 20210514 (Red Hat 8.5.0-26), 64-bit
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.536 EDT [12649] LOG:  listening on IPv4 address "0.0.0.0", port 5432
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.536 EDT [12649] LOG:  listening on IPv6 address "::", port 5432
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.536 EDT [12649] LOG:  listening on Unix socket "/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432"
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.543 EDT [12653] LOG:  database system was shut down at 2025-06-14 12:21:00 EDT
   2025-06-14 12:48:07.554 EDT [12649] LOG:  database system is ready to accept connections
   
   This won't immediately reveal the problem, I imagine, but it would
   help decide where to look.
   
   			regards, tom lane