Connection Failed: Error

Connection failed: connection to server at "192.168.*.*", port 5432 failed: FATAL: no pg_hba.conf entry for host "10.0.4.1", user "Help-Desk", database "Help-Desk-Stg", no encryption

Step 1: Edit pg_hba.conf

  1. Go to the PostgreSQL data directory. By default, it’s usually here:

    C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\<version>\data\

    (replace <version> with your installed version, e.g. 15).

  2. Open pg_hba.conf in Notepad (Run as Administrator).

  3. Add a new line at the bottom to allow your client 10.0.4.1:

    host    Help-Desk-Stg    Help-Desk    10.0.4.1/32    scram-sha-256

  4. If you want to allow all 10.0.4.x clients:

    host    Help-Desk-Stg    Help-Desk    10.0.4.0/24    scram-sha-256

    Or allow all IPs (not secure, only for testing):

    host    Help-Desk-Stg    Help-Desk    0.0.0.0/0    scram-sha-256

Step 2: Edit postgresql.conf

  1. In the same folder, open postgresql.conf.

  2. Look for this line:

    #listen_addresses = 'localhost'

  3. Change it to:

    listen_addresses = '*'

    (removes the # and sets it to allow all IPs).

Step 3: Restart PostgreSQL Service

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.

  2. Find PostgreSQL <version> in the list.

  3. Right-click → Restart.

Step 4: Test Connection

From your client machine, run:

psql -h 192.168.*.* -U Help-Desk -d Help-Desk-Stg

Enter the password for Help-Desk.

Best Practice:

  • Keep listen_addresses = '*' but restrict in pg_hba.conf by IP or subnet.

  • Don’t use 0.0.0.0/0 in production unless protected by firewall rules.

REFERENCES

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