Automatically restart after a backend crash.
At a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Parameter | restart_after_crash |
| Category | Error Handling |
| Default | on |
| Value type | boolean / enum / numeric |
| Change scope | Reload (no restart) |
What it does
When on, the postmaster automatically reinitializes after a backend crashes, rather than staying down.
How to apply a change
Takes effect on configuration reload (sighup context). Run SELECT pg_reload_conf(); or send SIGHUP — no restart needed.
Inspect the current value and source with SHOW restart_after_crash; or SELECT name, setting, unit, context, source FROM pg_settings WHERE name = 'restart_after_crash';.
Tuning guidance
Keep on for availability. Turn off only when an external HA manager (Patroni etc.) wants full control over restart/failover decisions.