PostgreSQL is interpreting the username (myuser) as the default database name when i am trying to connect using psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser, thus i am not able to proceed unless i will specify also the database (see example below); however, with a username of “postgres” i was able to access, i guess the reason is that i do have a database which is named “postgres” as well.

MacBook % psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser  
psql: error: connection to server at "localhost" (::1), port 5432 failed: FATAL:  database "myuser" does not exist
MacBook % psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U private 
psql: error: connection to server at "localhost" (::1), port 5432 failed: FATAL:  database "private" does not exist
MacBook % psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres
psql (14.11 (Homebrew))
Type "help" for help.

postgres=# du
                                   List of roles
 Role name |                         Attributes                         | Member of 
-----------+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------
 myuser    |                                                            | {}
 postgres  | Superuser                                                  | {}
 private   | Superuser, Create role, Create DB, Replication, Bypass RLS | {}

postgres=# l
                            List of databases
    Name    |  Owner  | Encoding | Collate | Ctype |  Access privileges  
------------+---------+----------+---------+-------+---------------------
 mydatabase | private | UTF8     | C       | C     | =Tc/private        +
            |         |          |         |       | private=CTc/private+
            |         |          |         |       | myuser=CTc/private
 postgres   | private | UTF8     | C       | C     | 
 template0  | private | UTF8     | C       | C     | =c/private         +
            |         |          |         |       | private=CTc/private
 template1  | private | UTF8     | C       | C     | =c/private         +
            |         |          |         |       | private=CTc/private
(4 rows)

postgres=# q
MacBook % psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser -d mydatabase                          

psql (14.11 (Homebrew))
Type "help" for help.

mydatabase-> du
                                   List of roles
 Role name |                         Attributes                         | Member of 
-----------+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------
 myuser    |                                                            | {}
 postgres  | Superuser                                                  | {}
 private   | Superuser, Create role, Create DB, Replication, Bypass RLS | {}

Version:

PostgreSQL 14.11 (Homebrew) on x86_64-apple-darwin23.2.0, compiled by Apple clang version 15.0.0 (clang-1500.1.0.2.5), 64-bit

print screen terminal

I tried to access also via “private” username but as you can see from the terminal it didn’t work same as for “myuser”, there are no databases names “private” and “myuser”…that’s how i came to conclusion that the problem is somewhere else. I’ve tried also to change the search_path

“postgres=# ALTER ROLE myuser SET search_path TO mydatabase, pg_catalog;”

But it didn’t help.

I want to be able to access :% psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser
However, now i can access only via: % psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser -d mydatabase

p.s. I was missing pg_hba.conf and postgresql.conf files in their respactive fdolders (share/postgresql@14/), maybe that’s nomrmal as only their sample files were availible, anyhow i’ve tried to recreatethem, but it didnt help to solve the my problem.