When the database generates SQL, force all identifiers to be quoted, even if they are not (currently) keywords.
At a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Parameter | quote_all_identifiers |
| Category | Version and Platform Compatibility |
| Default | (see documentation) |
| Value type | boolean (on/off) |
| Change scope | Per-session (SET) |
| Available in | PostgreSQL 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (added in 12) |
What it does
When the database generates SQL, force all identifiers to be quoted, even if they are not (currently) keywords. This will affect the output of EXPLAIN as well as the results of functions like pg_get_viewdef. See also the –quote-all-identifiers option of app_pgdump and app_pg_dumpall.
(Description quoted from the official PostgreSQL documentation.)
How to apply a change
Can be set per session with SET, per role/database with ALTER ROLE/DATABASE ... SET, or globally in postgresql.conf.
Inspect the current value and source with SHOW quote_all_identifiers; or SELECT name, setting, unit, context, source FROM pg_settings WHERE name = 'quote_all_identifiers';.
Tuning guidance
This controls backward-compatibility behaviour, not performance. Keep it at the modern default unless a specific legacy application depends on the older behaviour; turning compatibility flags on to paper over application bugs stores up problems for a future upgrade. Treat any non-default value as technical debt to remove.