SHOW DATABASES

The SHOW DATABASES statement lists all databases in the CockroachDB cluster.

Synopsis

Required privileges

The user must be granted the CONNECT privilege to specific databases in order to list those databases in the CockroachDB cluster.

Example

> SHOW DATABASES;

  database_name | owner | primary_region | secondary_region | regions | survival_goal
----------------+-------+----------------+------------------+---------+----------------
  defaultdb     | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  movr          | demo  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  postgres      | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  system        | node  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
(4 rows)

Alternatively, within the built-in SQL shell, you can use the \l shell command to list all databases:

> \l

  database_name | owner | primary_region | secondary_region | regions | survival_goal
----------------+-------+----------------+------------------+---------+----------------
  defaultdb     | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  movr          | demo  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  postgres      | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
  system        | node  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL
(4 rows)

Show databases with comments

You can use COMMENT ON to add comments on a database.

COMMENT ON DATABASE movr IS 'This database holds information about users, vehicles, and rides.';

To view a database’s comments:

> SHOW DATABASES WITH COMMENT;

   database_name | owner | primary_region | secondary_region | regions | survival_goal |                              comment
----------------+-------+----------------+------------------+---------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------
  defaultdb     | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL          | NULL
  movr          | demo  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL          | This database holds information about users, vehicles, and rides.
  postgres      | root  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL          | NULL
  system        | node  | NULL           | NULL             | {}      | NULL          | NULL
(4 rows)

For more information, see COMMENT ON.

Preloaded databases

New clusters and existing clusters upgraded to v25.3 or later will include auto-generated databases, with the following purposes:

The empty defaultdb database is used if a client does not specify a database in the connection parameters.
The movr database contains data about users, vehicles, and rides for the vehicle-sharing app MovR (only when the cluster is started using the demo command).
The empty postgres database is provided for compatibility with PostgreSQL client applications that require it.
The system database contains CockroachDB metadata and is read-only.

All databases except for the system database can be deleted if they are not needed.

Do not query the system database directly. Instead, use objects within the system catalogs.

Statements

Syntax

Data Types

Spatial Data

Constraints

SHOW DATABASES

Synopsis

Required privileges

Example

Show databases

Show databases with comments

Preloaded databases

See also

​Synopsis

​Required privileges

​Example

​Show databases

​Show databases with comments

​Preloaded databases

​See also

Synopsis

Required privileges

Example

Show databases

Show databases with comments

Preloaded databases

See also