ERROR 42501: Permission denied for table in Postgres

Error Message

ERROR: permission denied for table users

Description

This error occurs when a user attempts to perform an operation on a table without having the necessary privileges. It can happen during SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE operations or when accessing tables through JOINs.

Causes

  • User lacks required permissions for the operation
  • Missing schema usage permissions
  • Incorrect search path configuration
  • Role membership issues
  • Row-level security policies blocking access

Solutions

  1. Grant appropriate permissions:

    -- Grant specific permission
    GRANT SELECT ON table_name TO user_name;
    
    -- Grant multiple permissions
    GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON table_name TO user_name;
  2. Grant schema permissions:

    GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA schema_name TO user_name;
  3. Check current permissions:

    -- For tables
    SELECT grantee, privilege_type
    FROM information_schema.role_table_grants
    WHERE table_name = 'mytable';
  4. Add user to role:

    GRANT role_name TO user_name;

Cloud database providers typically don't allow superuser privileges. Check with your provider about their specific permission model.

For more details on Postgres permission management, see How to Manage Postgres Users and Roles.

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