KBY Technologies Logo
SQLSTATE 28P01

PostgreSQL invalid_password

The server selected a password-based authentication rule and could not validate the supplied credentials.

PostgreSQL client authenticationAuthenticationhigh
Exact message
FATAL: password authentication failed for user

Also searched as: invalid_password · password authentication failed

What it means

The password, user mapping, target server, or credential encoding is incorrect. Repeated retries will not repair it and can amplify connection storms or lockout controls around the database.

Typical trigger conditions

  • Rotated secret not deployed to every client
  • Wrong database endpoint or username
  • Malformed connection URI encoding
  • Different pg_hba.conf rule selected than expected
Evidence before intervention

First diagnostic checks

1

Confirm target identity

Test the exact endpoint, database and username through a client that prompts securely for the password.

psql -W -h <host> -p <port> -U <user> -d <database>
2

Inspect matched authentication rules

Review server logs and pg_hba.conf ordering from the database host.

3

Validate secret rollout

Compare secret versions across application instances and poolers.

Version and platform notes

SCRAM support and password-encryption defaults vary by release. Client drivers must support the method selected by the server.

Engineering signal

Follow PostgreSQL failures and fixes

One useful weekly email with new error references, tools, integration notes and production lessons. No daily noise.