First Steps - PostgreSQL 9 Administration - page 9

User = all means "for all users." Other names match exactly, except when prefixed with a plus
(+) symbol, in which case we mean a "group role" rather than a single user. You can also specify
a comma-separated list of users or use the @ symbol to include a file with a list of users.
CIDR-ADDRESS consists of two parts: IP-address/sub-net mask. The subnet mask is specified
as the number of leading bits of the IP-address that make up the mask. Thus /0 means 0
bits of the IP address, so that all IP addresses will be matched For example, 192.168.0.0/24
would mean match the first 24 bits, so any IP address of the form 192.168.0.x would match.
You can also use "samenet" or "samehost".
Don't use the setting "password", as
this allows a password in plain text.
Method = trust effectively means "no authentication". Other authentication methods
include GSSAPI, SSPI, LDAP, RADIUS, and PAM. PostgreSQL connections can also be made
using SSL, in which case client SSL certificates provide authentication.
There's more...
In earlier versions of PostgreSQL access through the network was enabled by adding the -i
command line switch when you started the server. This is still a valid option, though now it
means the following:
listen_addresses = '*'
So, if you're reading some notes about how to set things up, and this is mentioned, then be
warned that those notes are probably long out of date. Not necessarily wrong, though worth
looking further to see if anything else has changed.
See also
Look at installer- and/or operating system-specific documentation to find the standard
location of files.
Using graphical administration tools
Graphical administration tools are often requested by system administrators.
PostgreSQL has a range of tool options. The two most popular options are as follows:
F pgAdmin3
F phpPgAdmin