Connecting to PostgreSQL: Postico and TablePlus DB GUIs can't connect but `psql` in Docker works (FATAL: password authentication failed for user)

Question

I have deployed my PostgreSQL database locally with Docker. This is my Docker Compose file:

version: '3'
services:
  prisma:
    image: prismagraphql/prisma:1.30-alpha
    restart: always
    ports:
    - "4466:4466"
    environment:
      PRISMA_CONFIG: |
        port: 4466
        # uncomment the next line and provide the env var PRISMA_MANAGEMENT_API_SECRET=my-secret to activate cluster security
        # managementApiSecret: my-secret
        prototype: true
        databases:
          default:
            connector: postgres
            host: postgres
            user: prisma
            password: prisma
            port: 5432
  postgres:
    image: postgres
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: prisma
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: prisma
    volumes:
      - postgres:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  postgres:

I've started this with docker-compose up -d .

The Docker containers are running:

CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                             COMMAND                  CREATED             STATUS              PORTS                    NAMES
26b14120f89f        prismagraphql/prisma:1.30-alpha   "/bin/sh -c /app/sta…"   17 minutes ago      Up 17 minutes       0.0.0.0:4466->4466/tcp   newdm1_prisma_1
05dfdaeaf609        postgres                          "docker-entrypoint.s…"   17 minutes ago      Up 17 minutes       5432/tcp                 newdm1_postgres_1

Now, for some reason I can't connect using a database GUI (having tried Postico and TablePlus). In both clients, I get the following error:

FATAL: password authentication failed for user "prisma"

I'm 100% sure that I'm providing prisma as the password as specified in the Docker Compose file.

Also, when I'm connecting to the database using psql from inside the postgres Docker container, it does work:

docker exec -it 05dfdaeaf609 bash

Then inside the Docker container I do this:

root@05dfdaeaf609:/# psql -U prisma -W prisma
Password: 
psql (11.1 (Debian 11.1-1.pgdg90+1))
Type "help" for help.

prisma=# \l
                              List of databases
   Name    | Owner  | Encoding |  Collate   |   Ctype    | Access privileges 
-----------+--------+----------+------------+------------+-------------------
 postgres  | prisma | UTF8     | en_US.utf8 | en_US.utf8 | 
 prisma    | prisma | UTF8     | en_US.utf8 | en_US.utf8 | 
 template0 | prisma | UTF8     | en_US.utf8 | en_US.utf8 | =c/prisma        +
           |        |          |            |            | prisma=CTc/prisma
 template1 | prisma | UTF8     | en_US.utf8 | en_US.utf8 | =c/prisma        +
           |        |          |            |            | prisma=CTc/prisma
(4 rows)

prisma=# \c prisma
Password for user prisma: 
You are now connected to database "prisma" as user "prisma".

The password I've provided inside psql was prisma , similar to the ones I've provided inside Postico and TablePlus.

Is there anything special I need to do when connecting to a PostgreSQL DB in a Docker container?

Answer 1

PORTS
0.0.0.0:4466->4466/tcp
5432/tcp

If you check the ports column of docker ps command, you would realize that the Postgres port is not exposed to be used by the host machine.

To solve this, you need to add the following to the docker-compose.yml file:

ports:
  - "5432:5432"

Making the full file look like this:

version: '3'
services:
  prisma:
    image: prismagraphql/prisma:1.30-alpha
    restart: always
    ports:
    - "4466:4466"
    environment:
      PRISMA_CONFIG: |
        port: 4466
        # uncomment the next line and provide the env var PRISMA_MANAGEMENT_API_SECRET=my-secret to activate cluster security
        # managementApiSecret: my-secret
        prototype: true
        databases:
          default:
            connector: postgres
            host: postgres
            user: prisma
            password: prisma
            port: 5432
  postgres:
    image: postgres
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: prisma
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: prisma
    volumes:
      - postgres:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  postgres:

and then you need to run docker-compose up -d to apply the new changes. When setup correctly, the PORTS column of docker ps should look like this

PORTS
0.0.0.0:4466->4466/tcp
0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp